Akko Kagari and the Evil Within
by Red Reef
Summary: A deadly plague is loose in Luna Nova and Akko Kagari once again stands in the center of it all. Past and present collide as Akko and her friends work to solve a twenty year mystery that could save the school, but evil may be hiding within their own ranks.
1. Happy Birthday, Akko Kagari

**Akko Kagari and the Evil Within**

 **Chapter One: Happy Birthday, Akko Kagari**

Not for the first time, an argument had broken out over breakfast at the Kagari house. Akko had barely just entered the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, when Mr. Kagari yelled at her purple-haired guardian, Blair, from across the table.

"If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times!" he shouted. "If you're going to be walking around as a human, at least have the decency to wear clothes at the table!"

Blair grinned her little Cheshire grin back at Mr. Kagari.

"So you're saying I have to wear clothes _only_ at the table?" she said with a cunning laugh. "So that means I don't have to wear clothes anywhere else around the house?"

"You know what I mean!" said Mr. Kagari, leering disapprovingly at her with a bit of egg splattered on the side of his face. "You're setting a bad example for Akko. What if she starts mimicking it?"

"I think I'm a little smarter than that, dad," said Akko as she sat at the table. "Give me some credit."

Akko had barely taken her seat when Mrs. Kagari slammed a gigantic stack of pancake in front of her along with a small pile of bacon. Ever since Akko came back for the summer, Mrs. Kagari seemed to make it her goal to fatten her up by at least a hundred pounds.

"Isn't it a little much, mom?"

"Of course not," said Mrs. Kagari, turning misty eyes on her daughter. "I have to build you up while I've got a chance….I don't like the sound of that school food…."

"Are you kidding me? It's the best!" said Blair heartily. "I never went hungry when _I_ was at Luna Nova. Sometime me and my friends would sneak down to the kitchens just to get more."

"Yes, we've heard all about your teenage delinquency streak," Mr. Kagari sniffed disapprovingly.

Blair only laughed and stole a handful of bacon from Akko's pile, waving her breasts dangerously close to Akko's face. Had she not been accustomed to seeing the woman walking up and down the halls naked on a daily basis, Akko would have felt slightly embarrassed as she did when she first saw Blair.

Ever since Akko had come home for the summer holidays, everyday had been something like this: waking up to see Blair streaking to the kitchen, going out with her friends to places like the park or arcade, coming home to Mr. Kagari trying to persuade Blair into a pair of pants, then ending with a quick peek at her e-mail to see if her friend contacted her. Overall, Akko Kagari's life seemed fairly normal. But Akko Kagari wasn't normal. As a matter of fact, she was as not normal as it is possible to be.

Akko Kagari was a Demi-Human – a partial human with the characteristics of another being, more specifically, a witch, and she was just fresh from her first year at Luna Nova Magical Academy. Both of Akko's adopted parents were normal humans and she loved them dearly, but there was an empty feeling in her stomach to being back home.

She missed Luna Nova so much it was like having a constant stomachache. She missed the castle, with its secret passageways and talking armors, her classes (though perhaps not Professor Finnelan, the Alchemy teacher), the mail arriving by broomstick, eating banquets in the dining room, sleeping in her four-poster bed in the tower dormitory, visiting her Astronomy teacher, Ursula, and, especially, Chariot Races, the most popular sport in the magical world (five players circling a constantly changing track on broomsticks passing rings to the next player while dodging other player's spells). Akko wondered many times how her broom, the Shooting Star, was feeling alone in the castle without her. It must be feeling really antsy not having anyone to ride it.

Because Akko was adopted by her parents, it was no surprise when someone pointed out that they looked nothing like the rest of her family. Mr. Kagari was a gangly man with messy brunette hair and wore round, wire-frame glasses; Mrs. Kagari was much taller than her husband with silky smooth black hair; Blair was voluptuous with curly purple hair. Akko, on the other hand, was small and flat, with burgundy-red eyes and dark-brown hair partially tied into a small ponytail. And underneath her shirt, stretched across her back, were seven scars shaped like four-pointed stars.

It was these scars that made Akko so particularly unusual, even for a Demi-Human. These scars were the only hint of Akko's very mysterious past, of the reason she had been left on the Kagari's doorstep twelve years before, and her only real connection to her birth mother, Shiny Chariot.

Over a decade ago, Shiny Chariot was a world-famous performer who used magic to entertain people and was the reason why Akko wanted to be a witch in the first place. No one ever knew that Shiny Chariot had been pregnant at the time when the world was threatened by the greatest evil witch in history, Aradia, whose name most people still feared to speak. Akko was supposedly born during Chariot's final battle against Aradia at the Grand Triskellion twelve years ago, and somehow – nobody understood why – Akko's birth had led to Aradia's downfall and the release of magic into the atmosphere, allowing Demi-Humans to roam the world freely.

Sadly, Shiny Chariot could not take care of her daughter and left her with the Kagaris, where she would be loved as if she was their own. She had spent ten years with the Kagaris, never knowing she was special, never knowing that she was famous, and grew up being raised as a normal girl from a normal family.

And then, exactly a year ago, Luna Nova had written to Akko, and the whole story had come out. Akko had taken up her place at the magical school…though she was far from the best student, having set a school record for causing more disasters than anyone else in the history of Luna Nova (It came with a plaque and everything!) Still, attending Luna Nova had been one of the most thrilling experiences in Akko's short life…but now the school year was over and Akko was back to being a normal girl until she went back to Luna Nova for the next term.

At that moment, Mr. Kagari cleared his throat importantly and said, "Now, as we all know, today is a very important day."

Akko looked up, scratching her chin in though. Was there something important about today? She couldn't remember….

"It's not every day your little girl turns twelve," said Mr. Kagari. "And after the disaster with the parade last year, we'll try to keep things simple this year."

Akko face-palmed herself. _Of course,_ she thought wildly, _today is my twelfth birthday. How could I have forgotten?_ Her parents and Blair had been planning it for two weeks, and she almost didn't remember. They were going to have a simple backyard birthday party, not wanting to take any chances of Akko causing a catastrophe like last year when she accidentally set a flaming phoenix on a crowd of parade watchers. Admittedly, Akko had been a little more than distracted lately.

"Miss Kobayashi, Tohru, and Kanna said they would be arriving early with the food and drinks for everyone," said Mr. Kagari. "We should start setting up the decorations in the backyard in an hour. Kaori, you will – "

"Be heading down to Midori-ya to pick up the cake," said Mrs. Kagari. "One of the benefits of working at a café is the employee discounts. I'll also be picking up Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate there – it'll be nice to see some of your school friends again, right, Akko?"

"Good, good. And Blair?"

"I'll find something appropriate to wear," said Blair with an exaggerated groan. "I promise I won't strip in front of the guests…only until the little ones leave."

"Or you could keep your clothes on indefinitely," said Mrs. Kagari monotonously; Blair whined.

"Excellent," said Mr. Kagari, shooting a warning leer at Blair. "We should expect everyone to arrive around noon. Now, remind me, who all is going to be there?"

"Miss Kobayashi, Tohru and Kanna are arriving early like you said," answered Mrs. Kagari. "I'll be coming back with Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate…Hikari, Yuki, and Kyoka are obviously coming…Shinobu, Alice, Yoko, Aya, and Karen said they were (Shinobu wouldn't stop talking about Akko going to school in England) … Taihei is bringing his little sister, Umaru, and her friends along…."

"Vigne called and said she, Satania, and Raphi are going to be late," said Mr. Kagari. "They have to go pick up Gabriel from her apartment and you know it takes at least an hour to get her out of bed."

"Hard to believe that she used to be top angel in Heaven," said Blair. "She's worse than a fallen angel – she's a faillen angel."

Hearing them reading off the list of names, Akko realized that she quite possibly had the strangest assortment of friends of anyone in the world. Dragons, mages, angels, and devils…even her human friends were a particular set of strange what with Shinobu's blonde obsession and Umaru's uncanny ability to shift personalities at the drop of a hat.

"Right – I'm off into town to pick up the cake and the girls," said Mrs. Kagari. "Miss Kobayashi should be over in twenty minutes. You all should start setting up in the backyard – and Akko, no magic! There are still patches in the yard from when you set the tree on fire!"

"I was trying to pick an apple with a telekinesis spell," said Akko.

But nevertheless, Akko left through the backdoor with her father and Blair, who had the decency to dress outside. It was a brilliant, sunny day. While she unfolded the chairs and Mr. Kagari set up the tables, Blair would decorate the yard with floating streamers like colorful water snakes and summoned flashy banners from nothing to hang unsupported over their heads. There was a perk to having a fully trained witch living under their roof. And yet, Akko couldn't bring herself to be in a festive mood like her family.

She had a pair of loving parents, a decent home, a playful witch-cat, and a dozen friends she knew she could rely on. Yet there was this empty feeling in her chest as her mind wandered back to Luna Nova. More than anything else at the castle, more even than Chariot Racing, Akko missed her friends. She missed Lotte and her quiet sensibility, Sucy and her fondness of poisonous mushrooms, Amanda and her outrageous antics, Constanze and her amazing inventions, and Jasminka and her motherly affection. They, however, didn't seem to be missing her at all. None of them had written to her all summer, even though Amanda had said she was going to ask Akko come visit New York.

Countless times, Akko had been on the point of jumping on the next bus and hunting them down to get a response in person…but she had no idea here any of them lived, or how she would even leave the country without a passport. So, hoping to distract herself from the people who were supposed to be her friends at school, Akko had spent the greater majority of the summer getting to know her new friends.

She already knew Miss Kobayashi and Tohru from her father's work and Kanna was her junior back in middle school and Hikari, Yuki, and Kyoka were in the same class together. Unfortunately, they all went to different schools, but they always kept in touch. When Akko came back for the summer, Hikari had insisted on introducing her to all the new friends she made (leave it to the bubbly vampire to make an army of new acquaintances). She met Shinobu and Alice because Shinobu _loved_ Hikari's blonde hair and Alice was very jealous; she met Aya, Yoko, and Karen through them. Hikari knew Gabriel and Umaru-chan from the local arcade (though Umaru insisted on going by an alias, UMR) and their group expanded by them. Nanoha Takamachi was an old friend through their mothers and a classmate from Luna Nova and apparently her friends, Fate and Hayate, were also Luna Nova students, but a year above them.

Every day this summer had been filled with some crazy adventure whether it was camping in the woods, going to the beach, touring the local attractions, starting a band (they lasted about four days before they got bored), or doing a summer play for the local senior center involving a little match girl that could turn into a heat-throwing magical girl. But after the long silence from Lotte and her friends, Akko's feeling of depression started to weigh her down that even smashing Hikari's face at volleyball had lost its appeal – and now her friends had forgotten her birthday.

What wouldn't she give now for a message from Luna Nova? She would even be happy to hear from Professor Finnelan, just to be sure she had dreamed up the school, her friends, Diana…cold, aloof, beautiful Diana….

Of course, it wasn't like her first year at Luna Nova had been fun. What with being chased by minotaurs, nearly falling off Shooting Star, and staring down giant polar bears, Akko had to admit there were some parts of the school she didn't miss. But at the very end of the last term, Akko had come into possession of something that was both wonderful and dangerous: the claiomh solais – the Shiny Rod. The famous tool that had once belonged to her mother had nearly fallen into the hands of someone that would have abused its power, but her faith and cunning had awarded her with victory. Since she had retrieved the Shiny Rod, the staff had become bonded with Akko, and now it sits upstairs safely hidden in a box in the back of her closet where no one would find it. The Shiny Rod was Akko's key to finding her mother and understanding what happened the day she was born that made her so famous.

But the Shiny Rod was still incomplete. She only possessed one of the Seven Stars of Arcturus, the Star of Energy, and it was only after she found all seven that she would be able to see her mother again and find the answers she so desperately wanted. But she didn't know where to start looking for the others; the first one had pretty much just fallen into her lap. And she wasn't the only one looking for them, either. Aradia wanted the Shiny Rod so that she could change the world according to her whims. Akko couldn't even begin to imagine what terrifying things she could do with the power to alter reality at its most basic level. So it was a race to see who could collect them first. Every now and again, Akko can feel the hairs on the back of her neck rise up, as if someone was watching her –

Akko suddenly stood bolt upright and turned to the fence. Someone was watching her. The top half of their head was clearly visible over the high wooden fence, exposing her dark hair tied in a high ponytail and her slanted black eyes staring blankly her way. If she was trying to be sneaky, she was doing a very poor job of it – if this were an anime, there would be a large sweatdrop on Akko's head right about now.

"Uh…can I help you with something?" Akko asked the strange girl politely.

The not-so-sneaky girl gasped and dropped out of sight. That was weird….

"What're you looking at?"

Akko made a little squeaking noise and spun around. Kanna was standing behind her; Miss Kobayashi and Tohru showed up with the food.

"We have arrived!" shouted Tohru theatrically.

"Sorry we're late," Miss Kobayashi apologized. "We would have been here sooner if Tohru hadn't tried to push some weird things she found in with the food."

"How would you know it's weird," Tohru pouted. "You didn't even try any of it."

"It had tentacles and the eyes were winking at me," said Miss Kobayashi blandly.

"Hey, hey," Kanna tugged on Akko's sleeve to get her attention again. The little dragon girl was holding out a card. "Happy birthday, Akko."

"Thanks, Kanna," said Akko, petting her head; Kanna liked being petted. "Having you here already makes this a great birthday."

"Hey, hey, are your friends from school gonna come?" asked Kanna.

Akko's hand subconsciously stopped. It had been an innocent enough question, but the unknowing barb stung in Akko's chest.

"…I'm afraid none of them are gonna be able to make it," Akko finally spoke up after a long pause. "They're all very busy, you know, and they…they live in different parts of the world. Even with magic, it would take them a very long time to get here, even for a day."

"Oh…," said Kanna, nodding understandingly.

Thankfully, Kanna didn't ask any more questions and went back to helping Miss Kobayashi and Tohru set the food out on the tables. Akko looked back at the high fence one more time, but the strange little girl didn't pop her head back up again. For one wild moment, Akko had entertained the possibility that she was someone from Luna Nova. But if that were the case, why would she try to hide? Was she spying on her? A nervous feeling pricked up in the back of Akko's brain; she had a brief flashback of a baby dragon named Eco.

Nearly a half hour later, the backyard had been converted from an empty space of grass to a small festival with dozens of fluttering banners and party favors (though wildly out of season because of Blair's pumpkin magic). Mrs. Kagari had returned from Midori-ya with her classmate, Nanoha Takamachi, and her seniors, Fate Testarossa and Hayate Yagami (Akko couldn't help noticing Nanoha and Fate glancing at each other occasionally; they were so obvious). As noon started to roll around, more party guest started to show up. The first group to arrive was Taihei Doma, a co-worker from her dad and Miss Kobayashi's office, and his perfect little sister Umaru along with their friends. Hikari's arrival was signal by an expected tackle to the ground with the others picking them up, shaking their heads. Gabriel and Shinobu's groups came together only because Shinobu had spotted Gabriel's blonde hair from half a mile away and ran at it at top speed while the others gave chase.

By the time it was half-past noon, the entire backyard was filled with Akko's friends both old and new. Everyone was chatting happily with one another generally having a good time…yet Akko couldn't bring herself to join them. The thoughts of her Luna Nova friends still weighed heavy on her heart.

 _That's considering if they even were my friends,_ she thought savagely.

"Akko, come inside and get changed!" called Mrs. Kagari. "You're all sweaty!"

Akko moved gladly through the sliding door into the gleaming kitchen. On top of the counter stood her birthday cake: a two-tier chocolate masterpiece complete with an excellently designed portrait of Akko in her Luna Nova tunic riding a broom (she never told anyone that she had zero flying skills). Akko tried sneaking a quick taste, but Mrs. Kagari had ultra-mom vision and snapped a spoon at her wrist without even looking.

"Don't even think about it, Akko," said Mrs. Kagari, who was busying herself with the dishes. "Hurry upstairs and change into something nice. This is your birthday, after all. And do tell your friend to hurry on down. She's going to miss the cake."

Akko paused at the threshold of the kitchen door, looking back with confusion written on her face. She leaned backwards for a peek into the backyard. She did a quick head count…. Hikari…Nanoha…Gabrial…Umaru…Shinobu…. Everyone that had been invited was already in the backyard. Akko felt a familiar prickling sensation on the back of her neck when she reached the upstairs landing, pausing for a moment to listen as she leered at her closed bedroom door. She could hear rustling come from inside.

Akko crossed to her bedroom on tiptoe, slowly turning the knob, opening the door silently, and braced herself for whatever was waiting inside.

Someone was sitting on her bed, and they were holding the Shiny Rod.

* * *

 **Once again, the story starts off in a completely different direction than what the source material writes. Unlike Potter, Akko is well-loved by her family and has many friends (and has fun with a boatload of references), although taking an original approach while trying to stay on path with the plotline might make it a bit choppy, but hopefully, we can work through this. I do want to say that back in the first story, someone complained about there being too many references to characters from other series involved. These are just background characters to give weight to the happier parts of Akko's life, because there isn't a whole lot of that in the majority of the series.**

 **Next Chapter: The Little Ninja**


	2. The Little Ninja

**Akko Kagari and the Evil Within**

 **Chapter Two: The Little Ninja**

Akko managed not to shout out, but it was a close thing. The person sitting on her bed was short, young girl with slanted dark eyes and jet-black hair tied in a high ponytail. Her face was indistinguishable due to the thick red scarf that covered her nose and mouth. Akko knew instantly that this person was who had been watching her on the other side of the garden fence. Akko frowned as her eyes wandered down, spying the Shiny Rod and its one Star sitting on her lap.

As they stared at each other, Akko heard her mother's voice from downstairs.

"Blair, if you touch that cake, you'll be an alley cat!"

The young girl slipped off the bed and took a kneeling stance as she presented Akko with the Shiny Rod much like a ninja was presenting something to his master. Okay, she took her role very seriously. Akko noticed that the mystery girl was wearing a Luna Nova uniform - Akko knew this because she had her own folded neatly in her unlike Akko's the mystery girl had customized hers, adding a giant obi tied in a big bow around her waist, her bright red scarf, cloth bandages around her arms, and even carried a tanto on her belt in place of her wand

"Er – thanks," said Akko nervously, taking the Shiny Rod from her hands.

"Atsuko Kagari-dono," the ninja girl spoke in a polite, but broken Kanto accent; she wasn't a native Japanese speaker. "Forgive me of my intrusion and my earlier watch of you. I promise you that I meant no harm."

"Um…that's all right," said Akko, edging along the wall with the Shiny Rod pressed against her chest, sinking into her desk chair. "Who are you?"

"Forgive, Kagari-dono ," said the ninja girl, bowing her head. "But I am not at liberty to reveal my identity to you, under my master's request.

"Okay...," said Akko slowly. "Um – not that I'm trying to be rude or anything – it's just that, this isn't a great time for me to be having a ninja in my bedroom."

Through the open window, Akko heard a loud splashing noise followed by Satania's cries – Raphi must have tipped the punch bowl.

"Yes, I completely understand, my lady," said the ninja girl diligently. "Allow me to explain. I was sent by my master to…well, actually, now that I think about it, it is a little difficult to explain…I wonder where I should begin…."

"Maybe you could sit down," said Akko politely, pointing at the bed.

The ninja girl vehemently shook her head, looking as if Akko had just insulted her mother.

"Absolutely not!" she shouted. "To think one such as myself would commit such an act!"

Akko thought she heard the clatter of dishes downstairs stop for a moment.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I didn't mean to offend you or anything – "

"It is not an insult to me, but to you," said the ninja girl. "A ninja must never stand on the same level as their lord or those for whom she serves. It is a disgraceful act, one redeemed only by seppuku."

"Okay, that seems a little extreme," said Akko, eyeing the girl nervous as if afraid she might pull out a knife and gut herself.

"The life of a ninja is about honor and discipline," said the ninja girl seriously. "One cannot approach it halfheartedly without bringing shame upon themselves and those that they serve. When I think of those dishonorable American charlatans like the Foot or the Hand…."

"Right…," said Akko slowly; she had no idea what she was talking about. "You said something about being sent to see me?"

"Well...yes and no,"said the Ninja girl, turning her eyes away from Akko shamefully. "My master knows that I am here - he is the one that sent me - but my lord remains unaware of my expedition. You see, my Lord holds considerably more influence than my master. If he knew I was here..."

Then, without warning, she leapt up, grabbing a pen off of Akko's desk, pointed it at her stomach, shouting, " _SEPPUKU!"_

"Whoa, what the hell?" Akko yelped, springing up and snatching the pen out of the little ninja's hands. "Are you out of your mind?

"Sorry...forgive me, Kagari-dono...," said the little ninja, panting intensely. "The need to punish myself was strong, knowing that i am directly disobeying my lord without his knowledge..."

"I think gutting yourself is a little more than a punishment," said Akko strangely.

"Sorry...it has been ingrained into my mind to punish myself whenever I displease my lord," said the little ninja. "You see, I come from a long like of servants who have served my lord's family for centuries. My mother, my grandmother, and her mother before her - all of them served the family until the day they died. My mother personally oversaw my training while raising me, teaching me what to do to please my lord...and to punish myself for any displeasure... If I cannot commit seppuku, then I must at least smash my hand in the oven door..."

"But won't your family notice if you've shut your hand in the oven door?"

"My master probably would - he is a good man; virtuous and kind. But my lord, I doubt he would care as long as I do my job. He took no consideration for when i broke my leg as a child, not like my master, bless his heart."

"But why don't you leave? Escape?"

"Escape? No, Kagari-dono, I could never do that. Beyond the fact that I would never wish to leave my master, I wouldn't even know what to do once I was free. I've been born and raised for the sole purpose of serving the family. I know nothing else."

"Wow,that's actually kinda sad," said Akko, frowning. "So…why did you want to come see me if you knew you were going to get in trouble with your lord?"

"Truthfully, it is because of that," said the ninja girl, pointing to the Shiny Rod folded in Akko's hands. "I had heard tales of the Claiomh Solais and its power to weave the threads of reality…. And then, I heard word one month ago that the Claiomh Solais had resurfaced, this time in the hands of the Star-Born Child."

"And how did you figure out that I was the Star-Born Child?" asked Akko suspiciously.

"That would be the work of my master," said the little ninja. "Though he would never admit it to anyone, let alone himself, he is a great admirer of you, Kagari-dono. So valiant and bold. You have already braved so many dangerous that would frighten most men. And that is why he has sent me to you, to warn you, protect you if I can. I have come to you with a message: _Atsuko Kagari must not go back to Luna Nova Academy._ "

There was a silence broken only by the shrieks of laughter of the party guests outside and the echoing rumble of Blair's exploding pumpkins (don't ask why).

"W-what?" Akko stammered. "But I've got to go back – term starts on September first. I've been looking forward to it since I came back. It's the same school that Shiny Chariot – that's my mom – went to. I _belong_ there – at Luna Nova."

"No, no, no," said the little ninja, shaking her head so hard her ponytail whipped around the room. "Atsuko Kagari-dono must stay here where it is safe. Kagari-dono is far too great, too good, to lose. If you were to go back to Luna Nova, you will be in mortal danger."

"Why?" said Akko in surprise.

"My master has uncovered a plot, Kagari-dono. A plot to make most terrible things happen at Luna Nova Magical Academy this year," said the ninja girl in a hushed whisper. "It has been arranged for months, my lady. My master has made it explicitly clear that you are not to put yourself in peril. You are too important, Kagari-dono!"

"What terrible things?" said Akko at once. "Who's plotting them?"

"I'm afraid that my master was not in the…position to reveal such sensitive information," said the little ninja, hanging her head shamefully.

"Oh, so he knows there's some terrible plot going on, but he doesn't tell anybody – yeah, that makes sense," sneered Akko. "But why is he trying to warn _me_? Why not Diana Cavendish? She's way more important than I am." A sudden, unpleasant through struck her. "Wait a minute – does this have anything to do with Ara – sorry – with the Eclipse Queen? You could just shake or nod," she added hastily as the little ninja's hand flew up to her ears and screwed up her eyes.

Slowly, the ninja girl shook her head.

"No – nothing to do with the _Eclipse Queen_ , my lady, but my master did mention that it was something important – something to do with you – "

Akko stroked her chin thoughtfully like she had seen so many times in cartoons when the main character is thinking. So whatever it is had something to do with her, but it wasn't about Aradia…. Her eyes fell upon the Shiny Rod in her lap and realization washed over her….

"The Seven Stars of Arcturus," she murmured. "It has something to do with the Stars, doesn't it?"

"I cannot answer honestly because I do not know myself," said the little ninja. "But I do know you can't go back to Luna Nova. It's too dangerous."

"Well, I can't think of anyone who could make horrible things happen at Luna Nova while Professor Holbrooke is around," said Akko. "You know who Professor Holbrooke is, right?"

The ninja girl bowed her head.

"Miranda Holbrooke is the greatest headmistress Luna Nova has known since the Nine Olde Witch, Woodward. My master says Holbrooke as one of the most powerful sorcerer's in the world, the only one of two people who ever threatened the Eclipse Queen at the height of her strength. But Kagari-dono" – the ninja's voice dropped to an urgent whisper – "there are powers at work that even a great witch like Holbrooke cannot fight…"

That surprised Akko. She didn't think there was anything more powerful than Professor Holbrooke other than Shiny Chariot (okay, maybe she was being a little biased on that point). But before Akko had a chance to ask, she heard her mother coming into the hall, calling, "Akko, what's taking so long! Everyone's waiting outside!"

"Quick! In the closet!" hissed Akko, stuffing the little ninja inside along with the Shiny Rod, shutting the door and flinging herself to the other side of the room trying to look nonchalant as the door handle turned.

"Akko, you still haven't changed yet?" said Mrs. Kagari, looking up and down at Akko's grass-stained clothes. "What the devil have you been doing up here all this time? Rewiring the house?"

"I was just uh…picking out what I wanted to wear," said Akko nervously.

"Well, make a decision soon," said Mrs. Kagari. "Karen has been eyeing the cake for five minutes now and the only thing holding her back is Yoko and Aya. Hurry up before we have another incident like your eighth birthday party."

She closed the door behind her and disappeared downstairs.

Shaking, Akko let the ninja out of the closet, snatching the Shiny Rod out of her hands.

"Oh man, that was too close," she sighed in relief. "But just so you know, this isn't going to stop me from going back to Luna Nova. If something terrible is going to happen, then that's all the more reason why I need to go back. My friends are still there."

"Friends who don't even _write_ to you, my lady," said the little ninja shyly.

"Well, I think that's just because…wait a minute," said Akko, frowning. "How do _you_ know my friends haven't been writing to me?"

The ninja girl glanced out of the corner of her eye.

"Now, Kagari-dono, please, you have to understand. I was only doing what I thought was best – "

" _Have you been stopping all my messages?_ "

"More like intercepting them, my lady," said the little ninja. Stepping nimbly out of Akko's reach, she reached into her pocklet and pulled out a very expensive-looking smartphone. She tapped the screen and it instantly opened to a mailbox. There were over four dozen e-mails addressed to Akko. Most of them were from Lotte and Amanda, a couple from Jasminka and Constanze, a single e-mail from Sucy, and even one sent by Diana Cavendish titled 'Well wishes on your birthday'.

The ninja girl blinked anxiously up at Akko.

"Now, you shouldn't be angry, my lady…. I just hoped that…if you thought your friends had forgotten you…Kagari-dono might not want to go back to school…."

Akko wasn't listening. She made a flying leap at the little ninja, but she bound out of her reach and stood on the wall like a man in webbed spandex.

"I shall return them, Kagari-dono, but only if you give me your word that you will not return to Luna Nova. Ah, Kagari-dono, this is a danger you must not face! Say you won't go back, my lady!"

"No," said Akko angrily. "Give me my friends' messages!"

"Then you leave me no choice, my lady," said the little ninja sadly.

Before Akko could move, the ninja girl had suddenly darted to the bedroom door in a blur of motion, pulled it open, and sprinted down the stairs.

Mouth dry, stomach lurching, Akko sprang after her. She jumped the last six steps, landing catlike on the hall carpet, looking around for the ninja girl. Through the sliding door leading to the backyard she heard her father saying "…how do you not notice that Kanau has a thing for you, Taihei. She obviously plays favorites where you are concerned…"

Akko ran up the hall into the kitchen and felt her stomach disappear.

Akko's birthday cake, the delectable masterpiece of chocolate and icing crafted by master artisans (or more specifically, Nanoha's dad), was floating up near the ceiling. On top of the cupboard in the corner crouched was the ninja girl, waving her tanto around. It didn't seem important at the moment, but Akko only now realized that the short sword was acting in a very similar manner to a wand - the little ninja was a witch!

"No," croaked Akko. "Please…you don't have to do this…there must be a better way…."

"All you have to do is promise that you will not go back to Luna Nova – "

"Listen…please…"

"Say it, Kagari-dono – "

"I can't – "

The little ninja gave her a tragic look.

"Then I must do it, Kagari-dono. It's for your own good."

With a flick of the wrist, she sent the cake flying towards the sliding door just as Karen Kujo walked in.

"Cake time! Cake time!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.

Well, she got what she wanted. The cake smacked her cleanly in the face, smearing everything in icing and splattering the windows and walls as the dish shattered. Akko gasped in horror and looked back at the little ninja, but she had vanished in a puff of smoke.

There were screams from the backyard and nearly all the adults burst into the kitchen to find Akko, rigid with shock, flecked with pieces of her birthday cake.

At first, it looked as though they would have managed to gloss the whole thing over (Karen looked particularly happy to be covered from head-to-toe in cake and frost, content to lick herself clean along with Hikari and Kanna). Mrs. Kagari shooed everyone out into the backyard to preserve what was left of her kitchen, promising Akko that she would grounded until her fortieth birthday and handed a mop to Blair. ("How did I get roped into this?") Fortunately, Taihei had experience in dealing with irresponsible children and brought a couple tubs of ice cream for everyone to share.

Things seemed to be getting back on track and everyone nearly forgot about the incident – but knowing Akko's luck, it didn't last long.

Everyone was just singing Akko's birthday song around a mound of ice cream with candles lit on top when a large crow suddenly swooped in and landed on the pile, once again splattering everyone in ice cream; Akko could not catch a break today. The crow was wearing an official looking hat and collar along with a crisp letter folded under its wing. Given that more than half the people at the party were Demi-humans, no one made a big deal out of it except Hikari, who really wanted to eat the ice cream. The crow snapped its beak on the letter and presented it to Akko before flapping off, spraying everyone in frozen dairy for good measure.

Akko stood in silence, clutching the edge of the table for support, as she flipped letter around to the very imposing wax seal. Not a whole lot of people used wax seals any more, but anyone who did obviously meant they were very important. Akko had an inkling who it might be from and it made her sweat from the brow.

"Akko, honey," Mrs. Kagari murmured softly, holding her daughter's shoulders in a supportive gesture. "Akko, I think you should open it. It might be important."

Akko took a deep breath of air, steeled herself for the news, and ripped the letter open. It did not contain birthday greetings.

 **Dear Miss Kagari**

 **We have received intelligence that a telekinesis spell was used at your place of residence this afternoon at twelve minutes  
before one in the active assault of a Human.**

 **In the case that you were unaware, Demi-Humans are not permitted to perform spells against Humans unless in the case  
of self-defense, and any further spellwork on your part may lead to expulsion from school (International Charter for the  
relations of Humans and Demi-Humans, 2007, Paragraph D).**

 **You are to be placed under immediate probation under the observation of the Custody Enforcement Unit and are to  
immediately desist from using any magic until such a time when the division head feels that you are ready. Any  
unauthorized use of magic will be punished accordingly.**

 **Enjoy your holidays!**

 **Yours sincerely  
Mest Gryder  
Department of Magical Law Enforcement  
** _ **Magic Council of Era**_

Akko felt like her body had gone numb. The words felt more like a curse than a warning.

"Akko…," said Hikari right into Akko's ear as she shook her shoulder, but she may as well have been a million miles away as far as Akko could tell. "Hey, hey, come on, don't be sad. It was just an accident – an accident! You didn't mean anything by it! And Karen's not mad. Right, Karen? See, she's all right. Those Magic Council boneheads don't know what they're talking about…. Akko…c'mon, saying something."

Akko did open her mouth, but the words ended up lost in her throat and only a garbled noise came out. Her hands were still clutch the piece of paper with a vice grip like it was a lifeline; Tohru tried to pry it from her fingers and only ended up tearing it in half. No one seemed to understand just how terrified Akko was. It might not seem like a terrible punishment to be expelled from Luna Nova to them, but it was Akko's worst nightmare. If she was expelled from Luna Nova, she would never be able to live out her dream of being a magical entertainer…she would never get the chance to see Shiny Chariot.

Mr. and Mrs. Kagari called the party off and sent everyone home while Blair directed Akko to her bedroom to call it a day. All her friends sent her well wishes, but Akko couldn't hear any of them; her ears were pounding like drums as her brain went into overdrive. She stayed in her bedroom all day after the party ended and didn't come down for dinner even when Mrs. Kagari made Akko's favorite (hamburger steak). She just stayed in her room all day, staring at the Shiny Rod resting against the wall, constantly looking over her shoulder worried that the ninja girl might suddenly pop out and find a way for her to get expelled; that would certainly keep her away from Luna Nova.

* * *

Three days later, Akko rarely left her room outside of needing to eat and use the bathroom. Her friends came over every day trying to cheer her up, but fear still plagued Akko's mind. She lay on her bed that night watching the sun sinking beyond her window and wondered miserably what was going to happen to her.

What was she supposed to do now that any potential (or more commonly, accidental) magic could result in her expulsion from school? There had never been a time in her life that Akko had been more worried about her future than she did now. It was really quite ironic considering she was one of those people who never wrote down their future plans in her old school, just deciding to go with the flow of life (the teacher scolded her and Hikari pretty hard for that). Akko punched her pillow in frustration. That ninja witch might have saved Akko from horrible happenings at Luna Nova, but the way things were going, she might not have much to live for anyway.

That night, Akko fell into an uneasy sleep. She dreamed that she was on show in a zoo, with a card reading EXPELLED WITCH attached to her cage. People goggled through the bars at her as she lay, starving and weak, on a bed of straw. She saw the ninja girl's face in the crowd and shouted out, asking for help, but she called, "You'll be safe in there, Kagari-dono!" and vanished. Then she saw Lotte, Sucy, Amanda, Constanze and Jasminka walk up to the cage, all of them proud, experienced witches with fulfilling lives. Then she saw Diana and the disgusted look she had for Akko –

 _ **Ding-Dong!**_

Akko shot up from her bed, a bit of drool slipping from the corner of her mouth, looking for the source of the noise.

 _ **Ding-Dong!**_

That was definitely the doorbell. Akko looked at the blaring-red numbers of her digital alarm clock – it was eleven twenty-seven at night, way too late to be expecting visitors. She heard her father walking downstairs to the front door and Akko's curiosity compelled her to follow.

She arrived at the second-floor landing just in time to see her father open the front door. Waiting on their doormat was a tall and lean woman that stood a foot taller than her father with silvery-white hair tied in a French braid, adorned with an elegant golden hairpiece. She was dressed in a regal-looking suit of white and gold complete with a flowing white cape strapped to her shoulders and a golden chain hanging from her breast pocket; she wasn't an ordinary visitor, that was for sure.

Her father took a step back to let the woman inside, looking up at her with a mystified look, as she crossed her arm over her chest and bowed respectfully.

"Forgive me for the late intrusion, Mr. Kagari," said the woman; her voice was soft but firm. "I am Councilwoman Ava, fourth seat on the Magic Council of Era. I am here to see your daughter, Atsuko Kagari."

Akko let out a loud gasp of horror that everyone heard from downstairs and made them look up at her. The Magic Council had come for her! But why? She hadn't done any magic in the past three days!

She was about to consider making a run for it when someone moved out from behind Councilwoman Ava: an orange-haired, thin-faced, madly grinning someone.

"Hey, Akko, have you met my mom yet?" said Amanda O'Neill.

* * *

 **Since it's highly unlikely we'll ever learn anything about Amanda's family from canon, I have a lot of creative freedom. Her mother is a member of the Magic Council – a very big deal – and you may just be surprised at what the rest of her family is like.**

 **Next Chapter: New York City**


	3. New York City

**Akko Kagari and the Evil Within**

 **Chapter Three: New York City**

" _Amanda!_ " breathed Akko, pacing down the stairs until she was standing in front of one of her closest (and most troublemaking) friends. "Amanda, how did you – what is – huh?"

"Articulate as always," said Amanda teasingly, flicking Akko's forehead; it really hurt.

Akko grimaced; she nearly forgot much of a hothead Amanda O'Neill really was. Akko's mouth fell open as she took in her old dormmate and turned to the tall white-haired woman she traveled with – Councilwoman Ava, if Akko had heard correctly. And then, out of the corner of her eye, Akko noticed two more people stepping in through the front door, one hiding behind the other. Both of them had the same eye color and facial structure as Amanda, but the girl in front had a pair of wire-rimmed glasses with short, sapphire-blue hair in a pixie cut while the one hiding behind her had deep-violet hair with long bangs that concealed half her face. Akko leaned sideways to get a better look at the second girl, but she made a squeaking noise and slid further behind her blue-haired companion.

"Those are my older sisters," Amanda answered to Akko's curious stares. "The smart-looking one is Alyssa and the shy one is Alicia."

"Greetings, Atsuko Kagari," said Alyssa; she spoke in a very formal accent. "It is a pleasure to be making your acquaintance."

"Um…," Alicia murmured softly. "H…hello…"

"Okay, enough about them," said Amanda impatiently, spinning Akko around to face her. "What's been going on? Why haven't you been answering any of my e-mails? I've asked you to come visit about twelve times, and then mom came home and said you'd had got an official warning for using magic to attack a human – "

"It wasn't me – and how did she know?"

"As I just said two minutes ago, I'm on the Magic Council," said Councilwoman Ava. "When I explained what happened, Amanda was very insistent that you would never do such a thing and begged me for the past three days to come over. I think you are familiar with Amanda's level of persistence – " Amanda grinned with a double victory sign. " – but this does not mean that you are getting off, Atsuko Kagari. I am merely offering you a chance to explain your side of the story."

"Um…this is all well and good…I think," said Mr. Kagari; Akko totally forgot he was standing there. "But maybe we should move this conversation into the living room. It's getting a bit cramped in the entryway."

"Shuichi, who is it?" Mrs. Kagari's voice floated down from upstairs. "It's nearly midnight."

She appeared on the second-floor landing looking mildly concerned that her husband hadn't come back to bed, jolting back in surprise when she saw her entryway crowded with faces she was unfamiliar with. Not long after, Blair stepped beside her, casually naked as the day she was born, rubbing the sleep from her eyes with an exaggerated yawn; Alicia squeaked and covered her face, Alyssa lowered her face embarrassingly, and Councilwoman Ava covered Amanda's eyes with her hand. Her bleary eyes rolled over the crowded hallway, lazily waving when she recognized Amanda among the group, until her eyes fell on Councilwoman Ava. Blair blinked owlishly for a good long moment before she let out a frightened yelp that made Mrs. Kagari jump. In an instant, Blair bounded over the railing, landing catlike on the floor, and dropped to her knees with her hands folded pleadingly.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" cried Blair. "I didn't know it was a dragon egg, I swear! I was drunk and it was really dark and – and – it was Croix's fault! Yeah, it was totally her fault for inviting a shady character to play cards with us! Didn't even take her hood down! That's totally suspicious, right? So technically it's not my fault for kidnapping an egg from the Avalon's Holy Dragon Imperial Family! So there's no reason the Magic Council needs to arrest me, right? Right?"

"…I have no idea what you're talking about," said Councilwoman Ava.

Akko and Amanda exchanged looks. They knew Blair was talking about Eco the Royal Dragon that Blair had accidentally picked up during their last year. They had personally helped Blair and Ursula take care of Eco for a couple weeks before they sent it back to the Lautreamont Knight Kingdom with Amanda's oldest sister, Aurora. Blair was basically giving a member of the Magic Council a full confession.

"Blair, they're here about my probation," said Akko quickly, "not to listen to that _dream_ you were just having."

"Huh? Wha?" Blair sputtered, looking between Akko and the councilwoman. "I mean – yeah, yeah, that's totally what happened. It was all a dream. Totally make-believe. It's not like it actually happened or anything."

"…You kidnapped an egg from the Avalon's Holy Dragon Imperial Family?" said Councilwoman Ava slowly.

"Hey, why don't we head into the living room for some tea!" Akko suggested quickly. "You all must be really tired after your long trip!"

"Oy, did you really kidnap a dragon egg from the Imperial Family?"

"I'll go prepare the kettle and some snack," said Mrs. Kagari helpfully.

"I'll come, too!" shouted Blair, running urgently into the kitchen.

"Will someone answer the blasted question!" Councilwoman Ava all but screamed. "Did you honestly steal a dragon egg from the Knight Kingdom! This is a serious violation of the International Pact! Hey, I'm talking to you, witch-cat!"

Akko lead Amanda and her sisters into the living room with her father while Councilwoman Ava continued to hound Blair about Eco; _She better not rat us out_ , Akko thought to herself, _or the Magic Council will be the last thing she has to worry about._

Akko and the O'Neill sisters sat shoulder-to-shoulder on the small couch – Alicia was insistent on sitting on the opposite end away from Akko, glancing shyly her way out of the corner of her eye. They sat in uncomfortable silence as the three sisters looked around the house with keen interest. It was a normal Japanese household, so Akko couldn't imagine that they would be interested in anything, but they seemed oddly fascinated with common items like the Daruma Doll on the mantle, her dad's bonsai trees on the windowsill, and even her mom's kabuki doll displayed on the bookcase. Akko supposed that since it was foreign to them, it might seem a little interesting, kind of like the way Akko was when she first visited London last year.

Mrs. Kagari came into the living room with the tea pot and cups and set them on the table in the middle of the room. Just as she was pouring for everyone, Blair (thankfully dressed now) came back into the room with Councilwoman Ava leering at her from behind. The tall woman sat on the loveseat between the adults and the children, graciously accepting tea from Mrs. Kagari with a word of thanks; Blair whined in a small voice and kneeled on the floor beside her like a whimpering puppy.

For what felt like hours, Akko sat patiently, tingling with anticipation, as everyone else sipped their tea quietly. Her eyes were particularly burning a hole in Councilwoman Ava's head, being conscious of her every move. Each time she shifted in her seat, Akko stiffened, her back straight and her shoulders square, hardly able to breath as she did so. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime for Akko, Councilwoman Ava set her tea down, leaned back in her seat, and turned her steely gaze on Akko.

"So – Miss Kagari," said Councilwoman Ava coolly. "You are on probation under the suspicion of attacking a Human with magic. This is a very serious offense. Humans are already distrustful of Demi-Humans and this does not help our cause. But I did not come to accuse you. As I said, I want to hear your side of the story. So – what really happened three days ago?"

Akko told them everything: about the mysterious ninja witch, the warning she'd given Akko, and the fiasco of the birthday cake. There were moments in between when Councilwoman Ava would ask Akko to go into greater detail about ninja girl and what she was doing at the time. There was a long pause of silence when she finished broken only by the clatter of Councilwoman putting her tea cup down.

"You have to understand that these are unusual circumstances," said Councilwoman Ava. "You're telling me that someone - a young girl by your description - came to intercept you because of a warning from her master. And you say she wouldn't tell you who her master was or what this supposed plot against Luna Nova may be?"

"I don't think she could," said Akko. "I told you, whoever sent her made sure not to tell her anything specific. The only thing they seemed to want is to keep me from going back to Luna Nova."

She saw Amanda and her sisters exchange looks with each other; the same with Blair and Councilwoman Ava.

"What, you think she was lying to me?" said Akko.

"I did not meet the person in question, so I cannot tell you if she is truthful or not," said Councilwoman Ava. "That being said, the fact that she was kept from knowing whatever plot is happening at Luna Nova seems a little too suspicious. I will have to put in a formal inquiry with Custody Enforcement Unit to see if they can find anyone close to your description in their files. You said that she was wearing a customized Luna Nova uniform? It may very well be that someone sent her as a sort of prank. Can you think of anyone from school who may hold a grudge against you?"

"No…I really get along with everyone," said Akko, touching her chin thoughtfully. "Although, last year, Barbara did try to kill me, so she might be a suspect. Too scared to face me in person after what happened last time."

"Yes, Amanda told me what you had been up to," said Councilwoman Ava. "You prevented a rogue student from stealing the Claiomh Solais. Hmm…very well, I will ask the Department of Magical Law Enforcement perform an investigation on Barbara England and see if they can't turn up anything."

Akko felt like a humongous weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Councilwoman Ava seemed to believe that she wasn't lying, at least.

"So…does that mean Akko's not in trouble anymore?" asked Mr. Kagari; he never looked more out of his element when confronted with the Magic Council.

"I never said anything about that," said Councilwoman Ava immediately; Akko's shoulders suddenly felt heavier again. "Until we can get all our facts straight, Atsuko Kagari's punishment still stands. She is to be placed under heavy probation and is not to use magic until she returns to Luna Nova. I'm sorry, but the Council Chairman has already decided on this matter." She said in response to Akko's pleading eyes and quivering lip. "One seat on the Council does not have the power to overturn the Chairman's judgment. I simply came here to take a statement."

"So that's it?" Akko complained. "After everything I told you, nothing's change?"

"Miss Kagari, it would not be wise to shout at a member of the Magic Council," said Alyssa formally, pushing up her glasses. "She could still pass a harsher sentence."

Akko slowly, and silently, sat back down, looking straight ahead with her hands folded on her lap.

"C'mon, mom, isn't there something you can do?" said Amanda. "It wasn't her fault; she was set up."

"Until the investigation is complete, she is still suspected for illegal activity," said Councilwoman Ava, her lips pursed. Amanda groaned and slumped in her seat. "That being said, if there is some truth to Kagari's story, then the best course of actions would be to take her back to New York with us where I can keep an eye on her."

Akko flipped around in her seat, hardly believing what she was hearing.

"What? Seriously?" Akko gasped excitedly. "You want to take me back to New York with you?"

"If there is some truth to your story," said Councilwoman Ava calmly, "then this won't be the last time your...ninja witch...will try to keep you from returning to Luna Nova. It would be in your best interest if you were under careful observation; no one would dare try anything under the nose of the Magic Council. And besides, I know Amanda has been wanting you to visit for the longest time. That is, if it is all right with you." She directed the question to Mr. and Mrs. Kagari. "I wouldn't dare take your daughter away without your permission."

"Hmm…," Mrs. Kagari hummed thoughtfully. "I don't like the idea of Akko going away to the opposite side of the world for the whole summer…but if it will keep her safe, then I will not argue against it."

"All we want is to know that she will be cared for while she is away," said Mr. Kagari.

"You have my word as a seat on the Magic Council," said Councilwoman Ava sternly, crossing her arm with a fist over her heart.

"All right…then she can go," said Mr. Kagari. Akko and Amanda immediately jumped into the air with loud whoops and high-fives. "Akko, hurry upstairs and pack your things. I'm sure the councilwoman is a very busy person, so do not waste time."

"This is gonna be awesome!" shouted Blair suddenly. "I have been to New York since the Ninja Turtle concert of '03!"

"Oh, you're coming, are you?" said Councilwoman Ava, leering at her from the corner of her eye. "Does that mean you're ready to tell me about that dragon egg?"

"…on second thought, I should probably stay here; very busy with stuff," said Blair nervously.

Akko wasted no time bounding up to her bedroom with Amanda in tow, practically tearing her closet open and throwing everything she had into the open trunk. Aside from her clothes, Akko also threw in all of her Luna Nova books…her wand…the Ring of Gyges ("Definitely not leaving this behind")…her collection of Shiny Chariot cards (still missing one ultra-rare card)…. The last item she had to retrieve was the Shiny Rod. Akko paused for a moment, remembering how the ninja witch had found it so easily and might have stolen it if given the chance. She strapped the Rod to her belt and helped Amanda heave the trunk out of the room.

They clambered down the stairs, panting, and saw that the front door was open. They stepped outside where the Blair, the Kagaris and the O'Neills were chattering next to long black Limousin with a coat of arms with an Egyptian cross ("It's called an Ankh," said Alyssa knowledgeably) with a banner that said: "Magic Council of Era". Councilwoman Ava climbed into the carriage first, followed by Alyssa and Alicia, who chanced a quick peek at Akko before her entire face went red and disappeared inside. Amanda and Akko pushed her trunk through the door with a lot of effort; the door was not accommodating to the size of Akko's luggage.

"Just a bit more," panted Amanda. "One good push – "

Akko and Amanda threw their shoulders against the trunk and it slid through the door onto the floor of the limo.

Amanda climbed into the limo after while Akko took one last chance to say her good-byes to her family.

"Be sure to listen to the nice councilwoman," said Mrs. Kagari. "I don't want to have to fly out to New York to post bail."

"Make sure you DO NOT eat anything from a vendor on the street," said Mr. Kagari with a strange seriousness. "I know you saw those documentaries too."

"And if you meet a guy named Dr. Strange…," said Blair, "that guy owes me forty bucks."

With nothing left to be said, Akko bounced into the limo with the O'Neills, which was surprisingly spacious inside despite how it looked on the outside; the seat she shared with Amanda and Alyssa was as wide as a park bench. Councilwoman Ava rapped the limo wall with her knuckles twice and the vehicle suddenly lurched forward on its own. A portal of ethereal green energy suddenly rippled up the road, not unlike the one Akko and her classmates used to travel to Luna Nova last year. Akko quickly pulled down the window, stuck her head outside, and looked back at her shrinking family standing on the sidewalk, waving.

"I'll be back soon! I promise!" Akko yelled.

And then Jingumae faded out of sight, consumed by a sea of ethereal green light. Akko settled back in her seat, releasing a heavy sigh she didn't know she had been holding.

"I'm glad we came to get you," said Amanda. "I was getting a little worried when you didn't answer any of our e-mail's. Lotte was going frantic when you didn't respond to her e-mail about wanting a Shiny Chariot poster – "

"Lotte has a Shiny Chariot poster!" Akko shouted suddenly, making them jump. "You mean the limited edition Samhein Festival poster?"

"Er…I guess," said Amanda awkwardly; Akko looked very determined to get her hands on that poster. "You know, at first I thought the reason you weren't getting my e-mails was because Amelia was hogging the server all afternoon – "

"It wasn't just that afternoon," said Alyssa, tipping her glasses. "Amelia has been acting quite suspicious all summer. She's been sending a lot of e-mails to someone at least twice a day and has been spending a lot of time locked up in her room…. I mean, there is only so many times one can groom their broom" – ("Hah! Rhyme!" said Akko, easily amused) – "If I didn't know better, I would think that Amelia might be involved in a secret relationship."

"Amelia? With a boyfriend?" Amanda snorted. "The day that happens is the day Akko performs a metamorphosis spell right."

"Yeah – Hey!" Akko snapped.

"Leave your sister alone," said Councilwoman Ava. "She's sixteen now. She has a right to her own privacy."

"Um…Miss Councilwoman," said Akko awkward; she didn't know how to speak to high-ranking officials.

"Please, call me Ava," said Princess Amethyst.

"Okay, Ava, I was just wonder what exactly is it that you do at the Magic Council."

"A very good question," said Councilwoman Ava approvingly. "Besides having a seat on the main council, I am also the Head of the Department of International Relations. It's similar to your country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. My job is to make sure that the governing bodies of multiple countries are able to work together, set standards on magic-based trade such as mystic artifacts, create regulations for potentially dangerous goods, interpret laws between foreign countries, and sometimes attend meetings with the International Confederation of Demi-Humans."

"It's basically a lot of boring paperwork," said Amanda with an exaggerated yawn.

"It really is," Councilwoman, nodding in agreement. She pulled out a golden pocket watch to check the time. "We'll be there in ten minutes…. Just as well. While it is night time in Japan, it will be morning in New York."

The tunnel of ethereal green energy shimmered and faded beyond the limousine window and Akko's senses were assaulted all at once.

The sound of a thousand voices and motor engines pounded against her eardrums, the smell of stale air and car fumes assaulted her nose, and the glowing signs of multiple buildings all but blinded her. Akko fell on the floor, covering her face.

"Probably should have eased you into it," said Councilwoman Ava. "New York City can be a little disorienting to first timers. But don't worry, we're headed to Midtown – it'll be at least a little quieter there."

Their limo seamlessly strolled through the congested traffic like the other cars weren't there, swerving down the street as the edge of a brilliant red sun was now gleaming through the gaps between the buildings.

"We're here," said Councilwoman Ava as the limo stopped with a sudden jerk. They had stopped in front of a wide panel of doors watched by men dressed in fancy uniforms and tiny hats. Akko stepped outside after Councilwoman Ava and tilted her head all the way back to get her first look at Amanda's homes – actually, it was less of a home and more like an entire skyscraper. The building must have gone up fifty stories; Akko nearly broke her neck just trying to catch a glimpse of the top. The awning out front was labeled in loopy golden letters: _**O'Neill Tower**_.

"Whoa! It's huge!" Akko shouted in awe.

"Eh, I guess it's all right," said Amanda nonchalantly.

"So which room does your family live in?" asked Akko.

"All of them," said Amanda casually.

"…Huh?" said Akko slowly.

"Our family owns the entire building," said Alyssa like it was no big deal.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Akko shrieked surprisingly. "Wait? Does that mean – you are – you're filthy, stinking rich?"

"Our mom sits on the Magic Council and we rode in on a fancy limo and you're just now figuring that out?" said Amanda, dumbfounded. "We're not as well off as the Cavendishes, but we get by fine. C'mon, Akko, you're probably tired because you didn't get any sleep. My room is at…the…top…."

Amanda had gone a nasty shade of green, her eyes fixed on the front doors. The others wheeled around.

The doormen opened the entrance for a balding, portly old man in a crisp three-piece suit that was marching down the carpet walkway with a steely look that made him seem remarkable like the predator glint of a saber-toothed tiger.

" _Ah_ ," said Alyssa.

"Oh, dear," said Alicia.

"Well, that can't be any good," said Councilwoman Ava lightly.

The portly old man came to a halt in front of them, his fists on his hips, staring from one guilty face to the next. Amanda and her sisters were practically shaking in their boots; even Councilwoman Ava looked slightly uncomfortable under the old man's gaze.

" _So_ ," he said.

"Good morning, Alphonse," said Councilwoman Ava, in what she clearly thought was a jaunty, winning voice.

"Have you any idea how worried I've been, Miss Ava?" said Alphonse in a deadly whisper.

"I do ask that you forgive me, Alphonse, but you see, we had to – "

Councilwoman Ava was clearly taller than him and certainly held a higher rank of authority, but even she cowered as the old man's rage broke over them.

" _Beds empty! No note! The limousine missing – was worried something had happened to you – out of my mind with worry – did you even stop to consider anyone else's feelings? – I know I'm not your father, Miss Ava, but I thought I had brought you up to be better than that! And worse, you're setting a bad example for your children! I would certainly expect this kind of behavior from Miss Amanda– "_

"Hey!" yelled Amanda.

"But you could learn a little discipline yourself," said Alphonse, finally cooling his head. "Honestly, Miss Ava, sometimes you worry me with your sudden disappearances. For all I know, you could have _died_. There are many dangerous sorts who would love nothing more than to be rid of the Magic Council. What would have happened then? What about your children? What about _me_?"

It seemed to go on for hours. Alphonse worked for the O'Neills, but Akko was under the impression that he was the one in charge. The way he waved his finger at Councilwoman Ava was like a father scolding an unruly child, which would probably make Amanda and her sisters the grandchildren. When it seemed like Alphonse had finally talked himself hoarse, Councilwoman Ava took the pause to pull Akko up to her side.

"Alphonse, this is the reason why we left so urgently," said Councilwoman Ava. "This Amanda's friend from school, Akko Kagari. She is in a bit of trouble, so she will be staying with us for the duration of the summer."

"Oh…very well," said Alphonse, straightening himself up importantly. "Welcome to O'Neill Tower, Miss Kagari. I am Alphonse, the O'Neill family butler. If you ever have need of anything, please do not hesitate to ask of it. Please, do come inside. Breakfast is just about ready."

He turned and walked back into the building and Akko, after a nervous glance at Amanda, who nodded encouragingly, followed him.

The lobby was as lavish as Akko had come to expect; clean white tiles leading to the concierge's desk, immaculate apple-red carpets branching off to the elevators and hallways, fancy mahogany desks, tables and chairs decorated the area, and a crystal chandelier sparkled over their heads. Akko would have stayed rooted in place, dazed by how shiny everything was, if not for Amanda pulling her along down one of the hallways. At the end of the hall was a set of double doors that opened up to a fancy dining area with a long table made of polished oak, ornamented with golden candelabras and sparkling silverware. Akko sat on the side next to Amanda as Alicia and Alyssa took the opposite side and Councilwoman Ava sat at the head. Akko couldn't resist looking around – it was all so fancy!

The clock hanging on the wall over the fireplace had nine hands with names of the O'Neills written in the same loopy gold writing, but had no numbers at all. Written around the edge were things like _Home, traveling, school,_ and _Mortal peril_. Portraits of very important-looking hanged on the wall behind Akko, many of them dressed in regal uniforms much like the councilwoman's. And unless Akko's ears were deceiving her, the bejeweled radio on the mantelpiece had just announced that coming up was "Magic Hour, with popular singing sorceress, Muse."

Moments later, Alphonse barged into the room through the kitchen doors pushing a cart of pancakes, sausages, eggs, and jugs of milk and orange juice, throwing dirty looks at his charges occasionally. In between serving the girls, he would mutter things like "don't know _what_ you were thinking of," and " _never_ once bothered to consult me."

"I don't blame _you_ , miss," he assured Akko, tipping a heaping pile of eggs on her plate. "I can understand why they have been so worried about you. Miss Ava and I were saying last night that we should come and get you ourselves if you hadn't written back to Miss Amanda by Friday. But really," (he was now adding eight sausages to her plate) "Miss Ava has no sense of patience, ever since she was a child. Leaving so suddenly without as much as a note – "

"Amanda was very insistent, Alphonse," said Councilwoman Ava. "And Alyssa and Alicia really wanted to meet Akko."

"I think I've just about heard enough excused from you, Miss!" said Alphonse harshly, but it was with a delightfully softened expression that he started cutting her pancakes and adding just the right amount of blueberry syrup to them.

At that moment, there was a diversion in the form of a lanky teenage girl with long, greasy indigo hair that completely covered her eyes that walked slouched to the table, taking a seat next to Alicia while being served by Alphonse.

"Hey, Angela, how's life treating ya?" Amanda asked energetically.

"Life is just a meaningless void of pain and suffering," Angela answer in a dry monotone, "salvation can only come from the sweet kiss of death."

 _Oh god, she emo_ , Akko thought uncomfortably, bending her face over her plate when Angela tried to catch her eye without another word. Nothing more was said until all six plates were clean, which took a surprisingly short time.

" _Man_ , I am tired," yawned Amanda, setting down her knife and fork at last. "I think I'll go to bed and – "

"You will not," snapped Alphonse. "It's your own fault you've been up all night. You children are going to clear out the poltergeist on the twenty-second floor; I don't know how much long I can stand having that thing around – "

"Oh, come on, Alphonse – "

"You had best listen to him, Amanda," said Councilwoman Ava, taking a sip of her coffee.

"And you have a pile of paperwork that needs completed in your office, Miss Ava," said Alphonse shortly; Councilwoman Ava whined childishly. He then turned to Akko with a kind smile. "You can go up to bed, miss. You didn't ask them to drive all the way across the world – "

But Akko, who felt wide awake, said quickly, "I'll help Amanda. I've never seen a poltergeist before – "

"That's very sweet of you, miss, but it's dull work," said Alphonse. "If you don't feel like sleeping, might I recommend you visit our library. We have an excellent collection of books – oh! I know just the one that would interest you!"

He bustled over to the mantelpiece and pulled down a small book that had been placed haphazardly. Alyssa groaned.

"Alphonse, Atsuko wouldn't be interested in that garbage – "

Akko looked at the cover of Alphonse's book. Written across the top in bold gothic letters were words _**Night Fall**_. When Alphonse flipped it around, there was a big photograph of the author splayed across the cover. It was a short young girl with curly blonde hair and large purple eyes. The expression she wore was one who seemed bored or indifferent to their photo being taken. The caption underneath said: _**Annabel Crème, Author of the world-wide phenomenon Night Fall series.**_

"Oh, she is absolutely marvelous," said Alphonse. "The Night Fall series is without a doubt one of the novel series that transcends genre – "

"Maybe in the beginning," Alyssa scoffed. "Have you read some of her latest works. Complete and utter trash. Annabel Crème has lost her touch."

"You watch your tongue, Miss Alyssa, or I will take soap to it," Alphonse threatened. "Now, if you are done chattering like chickens, you are more than free to head up to the twenty-second floor and get rid of that damnable poltergeist. Woe betide to any of you if I see even a speck of that poltergeist still around by the time I come up to inspect it."

Yawning and grumbling, the O'Neills slouched back into the lobby and took the elevator up with Akko behind them. Akko had only been in hotels during overnight field trips, but they certainly didn't have such intricately woven carpeting or tables filled with complementary soaps and snacks in the middle of the hallway.

"I've only ever seen poltergeists in the movies, you know," Akko told Amanda as they crossed the hall. "We're not gonna get sucked into TVs, are we?"

"Nah, the thing we're after is much, much worse," said Amanda with a grimace. "It's not so much scary as it is annoying. It's always popping out of nowhere, it's voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard, and I don't even want to mention what happened during dinner last month – "

"It's here," said Alicia, pointing down the hall.

There was a soft swooshing noise and something white bobbed back and forth down the hallway until it stopped, noticing them, and floated right up to them.

"Hi, I'm Casper, I'm a friendly ghost!" squealed the poltergeist.

That certainly wasn't what Akko was expecting. It was small and transparent white like someone had just thrown a sheet over it with a large round head and bulbous blue eyes. Akko thought it actually looked adorable, but Amanda and her sisters had a different opinion….

"Kill it with fire!" Amanda screamed. She whipped out her wand and shot a quick spell at the floating specter, who quickly dodged out of the way and watched as an expensive-looking vase exploded in the hallway. When Alicia and Alyssa whipped out their own wands, the friendly ghost zipped back down the hallway and the O'Neill sisters gave chase. Akko remained rooted in her spot, mouth agape in disbelief.

Just then, the elevator door behind her dinged and opened, letting out Councilwoman Ava, who was carrying a stack of papers under her arm.

"Oh, there you are, Akko," said Councilwoman Ava lightly. "I see you met our resident ghost, Casper. Most adorable little thing, isn't he?"

"Yeah…. Why are Amanda and the others trying to kill it?" asked Akko, scratching her head in confusion.

"Well, I think Casper is sweet, but he does grate the nerves once you know him long enough," said Councilwoman Ava. "Alphonse absolutely detests him. The sweet littler guy just tries to help, but he typically ends up making a situation worse. A trait, my daughter told me, that you both have in common, Akko."

Akko visibly slumped at those words; just what has Amanda been saying about her?

"So, what's all that stuff?" Akko asked curiously, gesturing to the stack of papers.

"Ugh, conditional reports from work," said Councilwoman Ava with a grimace. "My department just went through nine raids. Nine! And that damn smuggler Han Solo's causing problems again – I know he shot first!"

"Raids?" Ask Akko curiously.

"One of the problems I have to deal with in the Department of International Relations is the occasional smuggler," said Councilwoman Ava. "People who try to slip dangerous and illegal items across borders without the authorities taking notice. My department had been working closely with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement on sting operations to catch some nefarious people trying to sneak Flaming Pearls out of China and a whole mess of flying carpets out of Arabia."

"Why would people be so desperate for jewels and rugs?" said Akko.

"Because Flaming Pearls are considered sacred dragon relics in China and flying carpets were discontinued in the 1800s," sighed Councilwoman Ava. "There are worth a fortune on the black market and thrice as much to collectors. But because the Flaming Pearls are dragon relics, having possession of one would very much upset the dragon nation. And the flying carpets were discontinued because they were too flimsy to ride on and were known to spontaneously combust at the most random occurrences; a complete fire hazard. But there are always people who feel it's worth risking their lives to make a quick buck."

Just then, Casper suddenly swooped into the hallway through the wall, looked around frantically, and then dived down the elevator shaft. The door to Akko's left flew outwards a moment later and Amanda, Alyssa, and Alicia stumbled out, tripping over themselves in a small pile.

"Where'd he go?" Shouted Amanda, shoving her sisters off. "Where'd that squeaky-voiced mouth breather fly off to?"

"He just went down the elevator," said Councilwoman Ava. "You'll be hard-pressed to find him now."

"We would have gotten him in the sauna if Alicia hadn't tripped on her shoelaces," said Alyssa.

"Me? What about when you blew up the taco cart in the Fiesta Room?" snapped Alicia.

"All right, all right, that's enough out of you kids," said Councilwoman, raising her hand to effectively silence them. "You cleared Casper out of the twenty-second floor like Alphonse asked, so good job. I think we all deserve a bit of rest. Amanda, why don't you show Akko to your bedroom. I figure she'll be wanting to stay with a friend while she's here."

"Ah…okay," Amanda seemed hesitant to comply. "C'mon, Akko. I'm on the seventeenth floor."

They slipped into the elevator as Alyssa and Alicia looked prepared to engage in another shouting match while Councilwoman Ava was engrossed in her paperwork. They took the elevator all the way down to the seventeenth floor, which opened up to a short hallway with only four doors. As Amanda led the way, Akko noticed the bronze plaques on the doors. The first door on the right said _**Broom Workshop,**_ and the door next to it read _**Entertainment Room.**_ Only one door occupied the entire left side of the hallway, labeled as _**Dance Studio**_ , and the door stood slightly ajar, letting Akko catch a quick peek inside. A wall of mirrors took up the entire back of the studio and the floor was made of finely polished oak, but Akko noticed that a single section of the floor was extremely worn out like it had been stepped on by several thousand people at once.

"Do you like dancing, Amanda?" asked Akko.

"Er…a little bit," said Amanda, sounding strangely insecure. "I don't really do it a lot. My room just happened to be next to it, you know."

Akko prided herself on being able to tell when Amanda was lying, but decided not to pry any further.

At the end of the hall, they reached the door with the plaque that said _**Amanda's Room**_ on it. Akko stepped inside, stopped in her tracks, and had to do a double-take. She was almost certain she had stepped into an alternate universe because nearly everything inside was a bright shade of pink: the wallpaper, the carpet, the curtains, and even the silken four-poster bed with chiffon drapes. There was a pile of stuff animals lined up in the alcove and several posters of famous ballets like Giselle and Coppelia. There was even a vanity mirror in the corner as well as a little table with a floral tea set.

Akko covered her mouth with her hand to hide her smirk as she turned to Amanda, who looked red in the face.

"Wow, Amanda, I never knew you were such a girly-girl," she said teasingly.

"Sh-shut up!" Amanda sputtered embarrassingly. "I'm a girl, too, ya know! There's nothing wrong with me liking things like that."

Akko padded across the fuzzy pink carpeting, walking around the table, and looked out the window at the New York street. The lights and noises were still something she needed to get used to, but it was an incredible sight to behold. Humans and Demi-Humans of every kind walking their way through the morning crowds. Akko had visited Shibuya Square on occasion, but this one street easily won in terms of sheer numbers. Akko could only imagine what the rest of the city must be like. She turned to Amanda, who was grinning expectantly.

"Well?" said Amanda.

Akko grinned in return and said, "This is gonna be the best summer ever."

* * *

 **I find it funny to think that Amanda acts all tough and boyish, but is really a girly-girl at heart, especially when she dances. And it gives Akko plenty of ammunition to tease her with. We also catch a glimpse at Amanda's family life, getting to meet her mother, who is a member of the Magic Council, Alphonse the butler, an important father figure that that's Amanda's life, and four of Amanda's six sisters: Alyssa the smart one, Alicia the shy one, Angela the emo, and you already know Amelia the athlete. Make sure to keep track of each of these characters because not all of them might make it towards the end.**

 **Next chapter: Interview at Spellbinders**


	4. Interview at Spellbinders

**Akko Kagari and the Evil Within**

 **Chapter Four: Interview at Spellbinders**

Life at O'Neill Tower was as different as possible from life on Jingumae. Akko's mother liked to keep things neat and organized, which is why Akko was such a constant headache; the O'Neill's home burst with the strange and unexpected. Akko got a shock the first time she looked in the mirror on the third floor and it shouted, " _Tuck in your shirt, scruffy!_ " A troop of brownies helped Alphonse clean up after the girls, but they preferred to remain unseen and would throw things at Akko if she spotted them, and small explosions from Alyssa's laboratory on the twenty-second floor were considered perfectly normal. What Akko found most unusual about life at Amanda's, however, wasn't the talking mirror or the impish housekeepers: it was the fact that Akko was treated so well.

Not to say that Akko's parents ever treated her badly, but they usually encouraged Akko to be independent and do her own work around the house. But here at O'Neill Tower, she was practically royalty. Alphonse fussed over the state of her socks and tried to force her to eat fourth helpings at every meal. Councilwoman Ava liked Akko to sit next to her at the dinner table so that they could discuss her work in the Magic Council, which Akko found fascinating while the sisters simply groaned in their seats.

Akko heard from Luna Nova one sunny morning about a week after she had arrived at O'Neill Tower. She and Amanda went down to breakfast to find Councilwoman Ava, Alphonse, Angela and the twins already sitting at the table. Akko had done her best to avoid the emo sister; she thought Sucy was morbid, but Angela seemed to take death and darkness more seriously, which made her creepier. Taking a seat as far away from Angela as possible, Akko sat down and took the French toast Alphonse offered her.

"Letters from school," said Councilwoman Ava, passing Akko and Amanda identical envelopes of yellowish paper, addressed in red ink. "Holbrooke already knows you're here, Akko – doesn't miss a trick, that woman."

For a few minutes, there was silence as they both read their letters. Akko's told her to catch train as usual from Grand Central Terminal on September first. There was also a list of the new books she'd need for the coming year.

 **THIS STUDENT WILL REQUIRE THE FOLLOWING:  
** _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2_ **by Minerva Cavendish  
** _The History of 19_ _th_ _Century Demi-Humans_ **by Edward Chronos  
** _We Are Not Alone: A Guide to Celestial Bodies_ **by Jellal Fernandes  
** _Night Fall Vol 360 – 365_ **by Annabel Crème**

Amanda, who had finished her own list, peered over at Akko's.

" _History of 19_ _th_ _Century Demi-Humans_ … _A Guide to Celestial Bodies_ ," she read aloud, scrunching her brow. "What the hell is all that? And why are you being told to get Annabel Crème's books? I was just told to get the new spell book."

"They're for my new classes," said Akko proudly. "Professor Ursula said I did so well on my History of Magic and Astrology exams that she recommended me for the advance courses – I'll be in the same classes as the fourth years. And the Annabel crème books are for the new Magical Literature class me, Lotte, and Sucy signed up last year for our electives."

"It's good that you are showing initiative in your studies, Akko," said Councilwoman Ava, leering at Amanda over her coffee mug. "I only wish my own daughter would show that kind of motivation."

Amanda lowered her head close to her cereal, mumbling into her milk about 'making her look bad'. No one paid much attention to it, because just then Amanda's elder sister and Akko's Chariot Race captain Amelia walked in. She was already dressed, her Polaris Captain badge pinned to her jacket.

"Morning, everyone," said Amelia briskly. "Lovely day."

She sat down in the chair next to Angela but leapt up again almost immediately, pulling from underneath her one of the brownies that Akko had occasionally seen around the building. The tiny imp was babbling in it unique language, shaking its fist at Akko for some reason while holding a letter in the other hand.

"That's gotta be from Lotte," said Amanda, taking the letter out of the brownie's hand before it flipped out of Amelia's hold and walked out of the room, but not before giving Akko a rude gesture. "It's about time – physical mail is always so unreliable, but it's better than risking that ninja hacking our e-mail accounts again. I wrote to the others saying we were going to try and bring you home."

She ripped open Lotte's letter and read it out loud:

" _Dear Amanda, and Akko if you're there,_

" _I hope everything went all right and that Akko is okay and that you didn't do anything illegal to get her out, Amanda, because that would get Akko into trouble, too. I've been really worried and if Akko is all right, will you please let me know at once, but perhaps it would be better to tell me in person as physical mail is a lot slower than e-mail._

" _I'm very busy with schoolwork, of course' –_ How _can_ she be?" said Amanda in horror. "We're on vacation! – _'and my granny and I have decided to go to London the Wednesday before the end of the month to buy my new books. Why don't we meet at the entrance of Westfield?_

" _Let me know what's happening as soon as you can. Love from Lotte._ "

"Well, that fits in nicely, we can go and get all your things then, too," said Alphonse, starting to clear the table.

"Ah, unfortunately, I'll be busy with work that day; you'll just have to go with Alphonse," said Councilwoman Ava with a hint of disappointment. "So, what're you all up to today?"

Akko, Amanda, and the twins were planning to go up to Central Park to play a game of Chariot Racing. The sport was apparently even more popular in America than it was in England that they had an actual Racing Field built in the heart of the park that was free for public use. Unfortunately, Akko was reminded of her inability to fly when Amanda and the twins floated around the track while Akko was bouncing around on her lifeless broom like a crazed baboon. So Akko was forced to take turns riding with each of the O'Neills (though her ride with Alicia only lasted a couple minutes because she was too embarrassed to focus and ended up smacking into a tree). The whole time Akko couldn't stop wondering why she had so much trouble doing something that was supposedly simple like flying? She was able to pull off a monumental spell like the Shiny Arc last year, but she couldn't even get a stinking broomstick off the ground. It made no sense.

They had asked Amelia if she wanted to join them, but she had said she was busy, which was a shock in and of itself. They had never known Amelia to pass up a game of Chariot Race. Akko had only seen Amelia at mealtimes so far; she stayed shut in her room the rest of the time.

"Wish I knew what she was up to," said Amanda frowning. "She's not herself. Her exam results came the day before you did; twelve S.T.A.R.s and she hardly gloated at all."

"Standard Testing and Aptitude Results," Alyssa explained, seeing Akko's puzzled look. "Aurora got twelve, too, which is mindboggling considering she spent more time running with the centaurs than actually doing any studying."

Aurora was the oldest O'Neill sister. She and the next sister, Alexia, had already left their respective schools. Akko had never met either of them, but she knew that Aurora was generally referred to as the "hippie" of the family and Alexia had started up her own brand of idol dresses.

"She's definitely hiding something," said Amanda. "I just can't figure out what it is."

"Maybe she _does_ have a boyfriend?" Alicia suggested in a small voice.

Everyone paused for a moment…then Amanda and Alyssa let out a huge laugh.

* * *

Alphonse woke them all early on the last Wednesday of the month. After a quick half a dozen bacon sandwiches each, they pulled on their coats and Alphonse took them into an empty room on the third floor where a gigantic magical circles was drawn on the floor in sky-blue chalk and a crystal ball was sitting in the middle. Alphonse moved in close to inspect it.

"Hmm, it appears that we'll need to buy a replacement soon," he sighed. "This one has just about run its course…. Ah well, guests first! After you, Miss Kagari!"

He gestured for her to step up to the crystal ball.

Akko stared at them all watching her.

"W-what am I supposed to do?" she stammered.

"Ah, she's never used the teleportation spell before," said Amanda suddenly. "Sorry, Akko, I forgot."

"Never?" said Alphonse. "But how did you get to London to buy your school things last year?"

"Blair used one of her flying pumpkins," said Akko.

"Well, a teleportation is much quicker," said Alphonse. "But if you've never used it before – "

"She'll be all right, Alphonse," said Alyssa. "Atsuko, watch us first."

She stepped into the magic circle on the floor, which immediately started to glow as she stood underneath the crystal ball. Alyssa waved her wand and shouted " ** _Vera Gurasare_**!" and suddenly disappeared in a huge explosion of whitish-green smoke

"You must speak clearly, miss," Alphonse told Akko as Alicia stepped inside the glowing magic circle. "And be sure to get out of the right checkpoint."

"The right what?" said Akko nervously as Alicia poofed out of existence.

"Well, there are a lot of checkpoints established around the world, you know, but as long as you've spoken clearly – "

"She'll be fine, Alphonse, don't worry," said Amanda, taking her turn with the crystal ball.

"But, miss, if she got lost, how would we ever explain to her parents?"

"It wouldn't be the first time," Akko reassured him. "Blair likes to bring up the story of when I crawled into Tohru's stomach when I was six – that's a moment I'd rather not relive – "

"Well…all right…you may go after Miss Amanda," said Alphonse. "Now, when enter the checkpoint – that's the circle on the floor – envision where you're going – "

"And keep your elbows tucked in," Angela advised.

"And your eyes shut," said Alphonse. "The travel can be disorienting during your first time – "

"Don't fidget," said Angela. "Or you might fall out of the wrong checkpoint – "

"But don't panic and get off too early; let the transition take you until you see Miss Alicia and Miss Alyssa."

Trying hard to bear all this in mind, Akko walked up to the crystal ball as the checkpoint glowed underneath her feet. She took a deep breath and stared up at her reflection in the orb. She whipped out her wand, gave it an exaggerated wave, and shouted:

" ** _Vera Gurasare_**!"

At first it felt like she was being pulled in every direction at once before they came crashing together and were being forced through a very tight rubber tube. Her eyes felt like they were being pushed into the back of her skull – her vision was drastically darkened as she tried to pry her lids open; it looked like she was flying through a thick cloud of whitish-green smoke – a thousand voices roared in her ears as she passed flashes of different places at once. Something knocked her elbow and she tucked it in tightly – her bacon sandwiches were churning inside her – she closed her eyes again wishing it would stop, and then –

She fell, face forward, onto cold stone and felt the bridge of her nose throb painfully.

Dizzy and bruised, covered in dust from the dirty floor, she got gingerly to her feet. She was quite alone, but _where_ she was, she had no idea. All she could tell was that she was standing against the back wall of what looked like a large, dimly lit shop – but nothing in here was ever likely to be on a Luna Nova school list.

A glass case nearby held a withered hand on a cushion, a bloodstained smiley button, and a tiny model tower with a flaming eye. Evil-looking masks stared down from the walls, and assortment of mangled bones lay upon the counter, and rusty, spiked instruments hung from the ceiling. Even worse, Akko couldn't see through the dusty shop window because a heavy fog was rolling through, making impossible to see more than a few feet ahead.

The sooner she got out of here, the better. Nose still stinging where she had hit the floor, Akko made her way swiftly and silently toward the door, but before she got halfway toward it, three people appeared on the other side of the glass headed right her way.

Akko looked quickly around and spotted a large black cabinet to her left; she shot inside it and pulled the doors closed, leaving small crack to peer through. Seconds later, a bell clanged, and two men and a little girl stepped into the shop.

The first was a middle-aged man with poised gray hair with a pair of square glasses and a very finely stitched business suit. The second man was very young – possibly only a couple years older than Akko. He was a very tall and strapping lad with perfectly quaffed hair and handsome features that would make even Akko swoon. Much like the older man, quite possibly his father, the younger man wore a very formal blue suit and red tie combo, and also like his father, had a perpetually bored expression. The little girl, who looked slightly younger than Akko, followed close behind them while maintaining a set distance, her silky black hair nearly indistinguishable against the dark colors of her maid uniform.

The older man crossed the shop, looking lazily at the items on display, and rang a bell on the counter before turning to his son and saying, "Touch nothing, Andrew."

Andrew, who had been observing the flaming eye tower, stood straight and said, "There is nothing here that could peak my interest, father, of that you can be assured."

"It is not a matter of interest, but a matter of not wanting you anywhere near these filthy…items," said his father with a look of disdain when he saw the bones on the counter.

"Then I have to ask why you would bother coming to this shop in the first place, father," said Andrew questionably.

"You do not need to ask anything," said his father. "You are to do what I say, when I say it, without hesitation or question. I have given everything you could possibly need and rid you of all distractions all for the purpose of giving you a good future. You are a Hanbridge – you are going to be a strong statesman one day. However, your rebellious attitude as of late has become quite disconcerting as of late."

"Wanting to play the piano again is hardly disconcerting, father," said Andrew.

"You have no need for that," said Mr. Hanbridge, with a quelling look at his son. "You only need concern yourself with your studies and – ah, Mr. Baker."

A stooping man in a black hoodie had appeared behind the counter, his entire body twitching disgustingly as he giggled for no reason at all.

"Mr. Hanbridge, a pleasure to see you as always," said Mr. Bake; his voice had a bit of a southern drawl. "Delighted – and little Mr. Hanbridge, too – oh, I'm tickled pink. How may I be of assistance to you? Ooh, ooh, you have to see, I just got it in today, and it's very reasonably priced – "

"I'm not buying today, Mr. Baker, but selling," said Mr. Hanbridge.

"Selling?" the smile faded slightly from Mr. Baker's face.

"You have heard, of course, that the Magic Council is conducting more raids," said Mr. Hanbridge. He snapped his fingers, and the young maid walked to the counter, taking a roll of paper from inside her pocket and unraveling it for Mr. Baker to read. "I have a few – ah – items at home that might embarrass me, if the Magic Council were to come calling…."

Mr. Baker fixed a pair of crackled and mangled glassed to his nose and looked down the list.

"The Council wouldn't to trouble you, sir, surely?"

Mr. Hanbridge's lip curled.

"I have not been visited yet. The Earl of Hanbridge still commands a certain respect, yet the Magic Council grows ever more meddlesome. So far, they have only been investigating Demi-Humans and humans with criminal records, but they are gradually working their way up. No doubt being influenced by that horrendous wench of a woman, Athena Cavendish – "

He was talking about Diana's mom, Akko realized, as she felt a hot surge of anger boiling her blood.

" – and as you see, possession of this bacteria might make it _appear_ –

"I understand, sir, of course," said Mr. Baker. "Let me see…"

"Should we feel a little concerned that you have an anorexic severed hand in your shop," interrupted Andrew, staring at the withered hand on the pillow.

"Ooh, that there's a T-Cell version hand!" said Mr. Baker, abandoning Mr. Hanbridge's list and scurrying over to Andrew. "It seeks out the nearest source of body heat even in a dark place! Best friend for assassins and murderers! If you're interested in it, sir – "

"I can assure you that my son will amount to more than an assassin or murderer, Baker," said Mr. Hanbridge coldly, and Mr. Baker said quickly, "No offense, sir, no offense meant – "

"Enough with your pathetic whimpering, you worthless wretch," snapped Mr. Hanbridge. "Unlike you, I have important matters to deal with this afternoon and would like to get through this list as quickly as possible – "

They started to haggle. Akko watched nervously as Andrew moved closer and closer to her hiding place, examining the objects for sale. Andrew paused to examine a long coil of hangman's rope and to read card propped on a set of test tubes filled with swirling green chemicals, _Caution: Do Not Touch. Viral Infection – Has Claimed Thousands of Lives in Raccoon City._

Andrew turned away and saw the cabinet right in front of him. He walked forward – he stretched his hand for the handle –

"Done," said Mr. Hanbridge at the counter. "Come, Andrew – "

Akko wiped her forehead on her sleeve as Andrew turned away.

"Good day to you, Mr. Baker. I'll expect you at the manor tomorrow to pick up the goods."

The moment the door had closed, Mr. Baker stopped fidgeting and the eagerness in his voice dropped.

"Good day yourself, _Mister_ Hanbridge, and if the stories are true, you haven't sold me half of what's hidden in your _manor…._ "

Muttering darkly, Mr. Baker disappeared into a back room. Akko waited for a minute in case he came back, then, quietly as she could, slipped out of the cabinet, past the glass cases, and out of the shop door into the dense fog.

Akko stared around in worry. She had emerged in a dingy alleyway that seemed to be made up entirely of shop devoted to black magic, deadly sciences, and tools for murder. The one she had just left, Biohazard, looked like the largest, but opposite was a nasty window display of bloodied body parts hanging on meat hooks and, two doors down, a large cage was alive with mutilated demon dogs. Two creatures in black cloaks were watching her from the shadow of a doorway, muttering to each other. Feeling jumpy, Akko set off, hoping against hope she'd be able to find a way out of here.

A rusty metal street sign hanging over a shop selling poisons told her she was in Silent Hill. This didn't help, as Akko had never heard of such a place. She supposed she hadn't spoken clearly enough in her nervous state back in the O'Neill's teleportation room. Trying to stay calm, she wondered what to do.

"Not lost are you, my dear?" said a voice in her ear, making her jump.

An aged woman stood in front of her, holding a tray of what looked horribly like whole human fingernails. She leered at her, showing mossy teeth. Akko backed away.

"I'm fine, thanks," she said. "I'm just – "

"AKKO! What in the name of the Nine Olde Witches are you doing down here?"

Akko's heart leapt. So did the woman; a load of fingernails cascaded down over her feet and she cursed as looping waves of glowing black cubes separated the two, commanded by Professor Croix, the Modern Magic teacher.

"Professor Croix," Akko croaked in relief. "I was lost – teleportation spell – "

Croix's magic cubes molded together into a hand, seized Akko by the scruff of the neck, and pulled her away from the woman, knocking the tray right out of her hands. Her shrieks followed them all the way along the foggy alleyway until they reached a stone-gray door. Croix ripped it open and Akko had to blink the daze out of her eyes from the sudden brightness. Through the door she saw a massive shopping complex filled with stores from human music to demi-human designer clothes – Croix had steered her right into Westfield London.

"You're a mess!" said Croix, brushing the dust off Akko so forcefully she nearly knocked her into a barrel of frog organs outside the magical pharmacy. "Skulking around Silent Hill, I don't know – very bad place, Akko - you don't want anyone to see you down there – "

"I realize _that_ ," said Akko, ducking as Croix made to brush her off again. "I told you, I was lost – what were you doing down there, anyway?"

" _I_ was looking for some part for my second-gen Sorcerer Units," said Croix. "They're a lot cheaper to find on the black market. You're not on your own, are you?"

"I'm staying with the O'Neills but we got separated," Akko explained. "I've got to go and find them…."

They set off across the mall.

"I heard you've been having trouble with ninjas," said Croix; Akko turned and stared bewildered. "Don't look so surprised. Blair and I are still friends even if she doesn't like me very much. Professor Ursula was very concerned when she heard you got in trouble with the Magic Council – "

"Kagari, is that you?"

Akko looked around and her breath hitched. Diana Cavendish was just across the walkway, her arms loaded with shopping bags. It had been a whole month since she had seen or heard from Diana; she could feel the heat rising in her face and her heart hammering wildly against her ribcage. She had become so enthralled by Diana that she didn't notice Hannah and Barbara standing next to her until they blocked her vision.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Akko Kagari?" Hannah sneered, looking her up and down. "You look like you just walked out of the trash. Then again, it's an improvement over how you usually look."

"Lovely to see you too, Hannah," said Akko sarcastically. "And Barbara, I'm surprised your still not in jail."

"And I'm surprised you're even still in school," Barbara retorted. "Remind me, what were your grades again?"

"That's enough, all of you," Diana commanded them in a calm, but firm voice. She stepped up to Akko, holding a neutral expression. "It is…wonderful to see you again, Kagari. And you as well, Professor Croix. I suppose you're here to buy your new books."

That light and happy feeling in Akko's stomach quickly deflated. That's right, Diana still hasn't forgiven Akko for keeping secrets from her, even going as far as to refer to her by her surname.

"Yeah, I am," said Akko softly. "Just as soon as I find Lotte and Amanda."

"You won't have to wait very long," Croix said with a grin.

Akko and Diana looked around: Sprint up through the crowd were Amanda, Alicia, Alyssa, Amelia, and Akko's best friend, Lotte. The bespectacled girl looked like she had gotten a little taller over the summer, once shorter than Akko, now standing at equal height. As always, the skull lantern with the tiny green fire fairy was swinging at her side.

"Akko," Lotte panted. "We _hoped_ you'd only gone one checkpoint too far. Mr. Alphonse is absolutely frantic – he's coming now – "

"Where did you come out?" Amanda asked.

"Silent Hill," said Croix grimly.

" _Awesome!_ " said Amanda and Alyssa together.

"We've never been allowed in there," said Alicia enviously.

"I should think not!" Diana scolded them. "Do you know what kind of dangerous things are down in Silent Hill? Only you would be foolish enough to end up there, Kagari!"

"Hey, it was an accident!" Akko snapped back.

Alphonse now came galloping into view, pulling Angela by the scruff of her shirt as she seemed to be refusing to move at all.

"Oh, Miss Kagari – oh, my dear – you could have been anywhere – "

Gasping for breath, he pulled a large clothes brush out of his seemingly deep pocket and began sweeping off the dust Croix hadn't managed to beat away.

"Well, gotta be off," said Croix, who had her hand wrung by Alphonse ("Silent Hill! If you hadn't found her, Miss Meridies!") "See you all at Luna Nova!" And she strode off with a whip of her cape and disappeared in the crowd.

"I ended up in some place called Biohazard," said Akko as she, Lotte, the O'Neills, and Diana's group walked down the way. "There was some people in fancy suits and a maid there. I think one of their names was Andrew…Andrew…I wanna say Hanbridge or something like that."

"Andrew Hanbridge was in Silent Hill?" said Diana sharply. "Was he buying anything?"

"No, I think his dad was selling stuff," said Akko thoughtfully. "Why? Do you know him?"

"How could you not know who Andrew Hanbridge is?" gasped Hannah like Akko had committed a cardinal sin. "His father is Paul Hanbridge, the count and minister of state of England. He's super rich, super talented, and super handsome." She made a swooning noise as she said that. "He's going to be the next statesman when he graduates. He has it all. You are so lucky to betrothed to him, Diana."

"Betrothed?" asked Akko, having no idea what the word means.

"It means that they were promised to each other since they were little," said Barbara with a wicked grin. "You know, engaged to be married."

" _M-M-M-MARRIED_!" Akko screamed before dropping to her hands and knees with her head hanging low. "What…what is this sense of crushing defeat?"

"It's not that I want to marry Andrew," said Diana, rolling her eyes at Akko. "It is purely a political marriage. The Hanbridges are a well-respected name among the humans and the Cavendish name holds a lot of power amongst the Demi-Human community. Our union is simply out of necessity to bring our two worlds together."

"S-s-so...when the wedding?" Akko managed to stutter weakly.

"After I graduate from Luna Nova," answered Diana; Akko slumped in defeat, not that she noticed. "Though it is concerning that Lord Hanbridge is selling items at a shady place in Silent Hill. Perhaps there is something he does not wish to be found."

"Well, there's no point in thinking about it now," said Lotte lightly. "Why don't we have a look around the shops before we head over to Spellbinders for our books. Oh, you could come with us, Diana."

"Diana has better things to do than to hang out with a bunch of – " Hannah started until Diana interrupted.

"It would be my pleasure," said Diana kindly.

" – What I mean to say, it would be our pleasure!" Hannah quickly changed her tune.

Barbara made a whipping motion behind her back.

Akko, Lotte, Amanda, Diana, Hannah, and Barbara strolled off through the mall. They stopped for ice cream and Akko got matcha tea flavor, which earned strange looks from the others; they weren't Japanese, they couldn't understand. They stopped by Bancock's Quality Brooms where Diana and Amanda spent nearly a quarter of an hour examining the newest selection of high-performance brooms; Akko spent the entire time bragging about how she was the only one that could ride the Rogue Broom, Shooting Star. They found the O'Neill twins stocking up on supplies for Alyssa's experiments at the magical pharmacy until Alicia caught sight of Akko and ran into a shelf trying to run away, knocking over everything; the store owner was quite furious when they left. And at a tiny little indoor café they found Amelia sitting across from their fourth-year friend and president of the Luna Nova News Network, Wangari. They seemed to be laughing at something until they noticed Akko and her friends standing a few feet away, then Wangari suddenly jumped up and walked away without a word.

"What're you two up to?" asked Amanda.

"That's none of your business!" Amelia snapped.

"That was a little more than suspicious….Wangari has always been closer to Amelia than the rest of us….Bet you they're both planning something," Amanda told them in an undertone as they left Amelia seething.

An hour later, they headed for Spellbinders. They were by no means the only ones making their way to the bookshop. As they approached it, they saw to their surprise a large crowd jostling outside the doors, trying to get in. The reason for this was proclaimed by a large banner stretched across the upper windows:

 **ANNABEL CRÈME  
will be signing copies of her latest book  
NIGHT FALL VOL. 365  
today 12:30 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.**

"We can actually meet her!" Lotte Squealed, practically crushing Akko's arm with excitement. "We get to meet Annabel Crème!"

"I'm guessing you're a fan," said Akko nervously, wincing.

"The biggest!" Lotte squeaked. "I love Annabel Crème's books!"

"W-well, you know, Annabel Crème is totally lame," Barbara stuttered all of a sudden. "But they are on our list for the Magical Literature class, right, Diana? We should probably check it out anyway while we're here."

Barbara wasn't fooling anyone – she was definitely a closet fan.

The crowd seemed to be made almost entirely of women of all ages. A harassed-looking old man stood at the door, saying, "Calmly, please, ladies…. Don't push, there…mind the books, now…."

Akko and Diana's parties barely managed to squeeze inside. A long line wound right to the back of the shop, where Annabel Crème was signing her books. They each grabbed a copy of _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2,_ and Akko noticed that Diana was also taking books for the same advanced courses as her; looks like they were going to be in the same classes this year. They sneaked up the line to where Alphonse was standing with the O'Neill sisters.

"Oh, there you are, good," said Alphonse. He sounded breathless and kept brushing his suit. "We'll be able to see her in a minute…."

Annabel Crème came slowly into view, seated at a table surrounded by posters of her latest novel while a kindly-faced woman with curly blonde hair hovered over her. The author herself looked just as bored and miserable as she did on the back cover, writing her name in loopy pink ink almost mechanically and said nothing when the fans were raving about how much they loved her books. It was like her body was moving on natural impulse, but her mind was somewhere very far away.

A short, irritable-looking man was dancing around taking photos with a large black camera that emitted a blinding flash.

"Out of the way, there," he snarled at Amanda, moving back to get a better shot. "This is for the _London Times –_ "

"Big deal," said Amanda, rubbing her foot where the photographer had stepped on it.

The blonde woman next to Annabel Crème heard her. She looked up. She saw Amanda – she saw Akko – and then she saw Diana. She stared. Then she jumped with start and positively shouted, "It _can't_ be the Diana Cavendish?"

The crowd parted, whispering excitedly. It came as no surprise that Diana would be so easily recognized, coming from such a prominent magical family. The photographer shoved Amanda to one side, seized Diana's arm, and pulled her to the front. The crowd burst into applause. The kindly-faced woman helped Annabel Crème out of her seat and made her to shake hands while the photographer was clicking away madly; both blondes shared a look of slight irritation.

"Nice big smile, ladies," said the photographer. "Together you both are worth the front page."

When they finally let go, Diana tried to sidle back over to join Akko and her friends when the curly-haired woman threw an arm around her shoulder and clamped her tightly by Annabel Crème's side.

"Ladies and gentleman," she said loudly, waving for quiet. "Yes, thank you. For those who don't know me, I am Elizabeth Lait, Annabelle Crème's publisher and representative….Ah, what an extraordinary moment this is! To think that we would be honored by an appearance from such a famous celebrity. We will, of course, be handing out a copy of Annabel Crème's latest novel, _Night Fall Vol. 365_ , free of charge." The crowd applauded again. "But we have even better news, don't we, Annabel?"

Annabel Crème, who had been enamored with her cellphone, looked up at her publisher for a moment to consider her, gave an exaggerated sigh, and stared up at the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Annabelle Crème spoke in a dry monotone, "it is my pleasure to announce that I will be taking a brief hiatus from writing the Night Fall series – " a concerned murmur of talk broke out among the crowd " – so that I may prioritize on my latest venture. This September, I will be teaching Magical Literature at Luna Nova Magical Academy."

The crowd cheered and clapped as Diana was presented with her copy of Annabel Crème's latest novel. Finding a moment to escape from the limelight, she made her way over to the edge of the room where everyone was waiting out of sight while the crowd resumed to line up for Annabel's book signing.

"You can have this," Diana mumbled to Akko, slipping the book inside Akko's bag. "I can buy my own – "

"You certainly know how to stand out in the crowd, don't you, Diana?" said a teasing voice Akko recognized. She turned around and found herself face-to-face with Andrew Hanbridge and his maid. Up close, he was even more handsome than Akko remembered; her face felt a familiar hotness from being so close too him. The maid standing next to him had sharp, narrowed eye that looked...oddly familiar to Akko. Though she couldn't understand why; she had never met the girl before.

"The famous Diana Cavendish," said Andrew with a jovial tone of voice. "I'm surprised you even managed to make it through the front door without being mobbed by fans."

"I suppose that's what happened to you?" Diana retorted. She didn't seem to share in Andrew's teasing, rather turning away from him as if his very presence caused her great annoyance.

"Yes, public places can be quite hectic for people like us," said Andrew before turning to look at the rest of the party. "Oh, hello there, I didn't quite see you. Forgive me for the late introductions. I'm Andrew Hanbridge. And this is my personal maid, Marianna." The young maid bowed at the waist respectfully. "Are you Diana's friends?"

"Wow, he's even better looking than you said he was," Akko heard Amanda whisper and Hannah muttered back, "I told you so."

"You already know Hannah and Barbara from your father's last party," said Diana evenly. "As for the rest of them…they are merely acquaintances, not my friends."

Akko once again felt an overwhelming sense of crushing defeat, slumping dramatically against the wall of book and looking half-dead. Lotte slapped Akko's cheeks lightly to snap her out of it while Amanda rolled her eyes and Hannah and Barbara snickered; Andrew looked completely lost.

"Miss Amanda!" said Alphonse, struggling over with Alicia and Alyssa. "What are you doing? It's too crowded in here, let's go outside."

"Might as well," said Andrew. "I only came in here to see what all the commotion was about. Normally, I wouldn't even think of stepping into a place like this."

"A bookshop?" asked Lotte curiously.

"No, a _magic_ bookshop," said Andrew. He reached into Diana's bag and extracted her copy of _A Guide to Celestial Bodies. "_ What is even the point of opening a shop like this? Everyone knows that magic is an obsolete practice. It's better off in the past, forgotten, where it belongs."

Akko suddenly went rigid in Lotte's arms. Slowly, almost lethargically, Akko raised her head until she was staring dead into Andrew's eyes, her own shadowed by the fringe of her hair. Andrew almost seemed taken aback by how seriously Akko was leering at him.

"What was that?" said Akko in a low voice. "I'll have you know that magic is the greatest thing in the world. It's a – "

"Complete waste of everyone's time," Andrew interrupted. "Magic might have been useful in the past, but its worthless in the modern ages. Everything that a demi-human can come up with, humans have already invented ten better solutions."

"That's not – "

"You have healing magic, we have medicine and treatments," Andrew continued uninterrupted. "You have your little broomsticks, we have giant planes that can carry a hundred passengers. And I remember there was a time when you demi-humans used to send messages by birds until humans invented telephones and e-mail."

"Shut up…."

"Magic had it's time in the sun," said Andrew in an even and unfeeling voice, "but now it's over. The world has no need for magic any more. It would be better if the entire practice just disappeared – "

Everyone jumped and turned as an outraged scream ripped through the babbling bookshop; Akko had thrown herself at Andrew, knocking him backward into a bookshelf. Dozens of heavy spellbooks came thundering down on all their heads; there was a yell of, "Get him, Akko!" from Amanda; Lotte was shrieking, "No, Akko, no!"; the crowd stampeded backward, knocking more shelves over; "People, please – please!" cried the assistant, and then, louder than all –

"All right, you two, break it up – "

Croix's magic cubes created a path through the sea of books towards them. In an instant, she had pulled Akko and Andrew apart. Akko had a cut lip and Andrew had been hit in the eye by an _Encyclopedia of Toadstools_ (Akko knew what she was getting for Sucy this Christmas). Marianna rushed to her master's side, dusting off his suit and examining his eye. Andrew was still holding Diana's astrology book. He thrust it at her, his good eye glittering with scorn.

"Here you are, Diana – have your book back – and consider finding yourself some better acquaintances – one with a little more manners – Come along, Marianna - "

Pulling himself out of Croix's grip he swept out of the shop with Marianna nipping his heels like a faithful pet.

"You should have ignored him, Akko," said Croix, almost lifting Akko off her feet as she straightened her clothes. "Not everyone is going to agree with you. Unfortunately, it's a common belief among humans that magic is better off forgotten, mostly by religious folk like the Hanbridges. They still live in the middle ages; magic is the spawn of the devil and burned at the stake kind of people. Come on now, let's get out of here."

The assistant looked as though he wanted to stop them from leaving, but as Croix's magic cubes seemed to be putting the book away and organizing them much better than he ever could, he felt there was no need. They hurried towards the entrance of the mall, Lott shaking with fright and Diana beside herself in fury.

"What on _Earth_ were you thinking, Kagari… _brawling_ in public with Andrew…you are setting a _fine_ example for witches…honestly, do you even _think_ before you act…no, of course, you _don't_!"

Akko was rather subdued by the time their group reached the checkpoint on the corner of the street next to the bus stop where Akko, the O'Neills, and all their shopping would be traveling back to New York City using the teleportation spell. They said their good-byes to Lotte, who was taking the underground to meet up with her grandmother; Diana, Hannah, and Barbara had walked away with their noses turned up, not even looking at Akko, which hurt more than Diana berating her.

Akko sighed depressingly as she waited for her turn with the Glass. It definitely wasn't her favorite way to travel.

* * *

 **By popular demand, Andrew Hanbridge has finally made his appearance in the series. His introductions is actually one of the most I have been looking forward to because it creates a dynamic tension between him, Akko, and Diana in a hilariously awkward triangle. Andrew and Diana are engaged, but don't really like each other, which at the same time upsets Akko, who obviously has a crush on Diana, who is not all that happy to be around Akko anymore, while in the meantime, things might develop between Andrew and Akko. I am going to LOVE messing with these characters over the course of the next six books (counting this one).**

 **Next Chapter: Return to Luna Nova**


	5. Return to Luna Nova

**Akko Kagari and the Evil Within**

 **Chapter Five:** **Return to Luna Nova**

The end of the summer vacation came too quickly for Akko's liking. She was looking forward to getting back to Luna Nova, but her month with the O'Neills had been one of the best times of her life. It was difficult not to feel jealous of Amanda when she thought of her returning to a home filled with magic while Akko may or may not still be on probation when she goes back to Jingumae.

On their last evening, Alphonse conjured up a sumptuous dinner of Japanese cuisine in honor of Akko, ending with a delicious tray of ice cream mochi. Alicia and Alyssa rounded off the evening with a display of fireworks; they filled the dining room with red and blue stars that bounced from ceiling to wall for at least half an hour. Then it was time for a last mug of hot chocolate and bed.

It took a long while to get started next morning. They were up at dawn, but somehow, they still seemed to have a great deal to do. Alphonse dashed about in a bad mood looking for spare socks and pens; people kept running in and out of the elevator, half-dressed with bits of toast in their hands; and Councilwoman Ava nearly broke her neck, tripping over one of Angela's black cats as she walked to the adjacent parking garage carrying Amanda's luggage.

When at last they were all packed in the limo, Alphonse glanced into the back where Akko, Amanda, Amelia, Angela, and the twins were sitting comfortably helping themselves to the minibar and to Councilwoman Ava, who was sitting in the passenger's seat. Alphonse started up the engine and they trundled out of the parking garage, Akko turning back for a last look at O'Neill Tower. She hardly had time to wonder when she'd be seeing it again when they were back – Amanda had forgotten her Alchemy book, which would surely have angered Professor Finnelan. Five minutes after that, they skidded to a halt at the front door so that Amelia could run in for her broomstick. They had almost reached the highway when Akko screamed, scaring the daylights out of everyone, when she realized that she had left the Shiny Rod up in Amanda's room.

"How could you forget something as important as that?" Amanda asked incredulously when Akko got back in the limo.

"I was in a rush; things were going crazy," said Akko defensively.

"Well, with all of these stops, we'll be lucky to make it to the train on time," said Alphonse.

"It will be tight, but we can still make it before the final call," said Councilwoman Ava, glancing at her watch.

They reached Grand Central Terminal at a quarter to eleven. Alphonse had to shove his way through the crowded station and nearly got tackled by an old lady to get trolleys for their luggage and they all hurried into the concourse.

Akko had caught the train to Luna Nova the previous year at Shibuya Station, which had been just as crowded as Grand Central Terminal. After checking the list of incoming trains, they found out that their train was currently sitting on the Hudson line and would be taking off in five minutes. With little time to spare, they are started to make a run for it. Amelia took the lead of the group, being the most athletic one, with Councilwoman Ava nipping at her heels; Alicia and Alyssa were quickly behind.

"Hurry along, you two!" Alphonse called back to Akko and Amanda, grabbing Angela's hand when she showed signs of slowing down.

"We gotta sprint for it, there's only a minute left!" Amanda said to Akko.

Akko made sure that the Shiny Rod was safely tucked in her belt and wheeled her trolley around toward where the sign said the Hudson line would be. Both of them bent low over the handles of their trolleys and rushed towards the platform, gathering speed. They were just about to cross the overhead into the platform when –

 **CRASH!**

Both trolleys suddenly stopped and flipped Akko and Amanda over; Amanda's luggage fell off with a load thump; Akko rolled into a group of Swedish tourists, sending papers and baggage flying everywhere; people all around them stared and a guard nearby yelled, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Sorry, just…lost control for a moment," Akko gasped, clutching her ribs as she got up. Amanda bounced back up, collecting all her things, and once again tried to push her way down the tunnel, but something was stopping her from moving on, like an invisible wall. But oddly enough, everyone else seemed to be getting through just fine; it was only them.

"Why can't we get through?" Akko hissed to Amanda.

"It looks like some kind of barrier," said Amanda, who looked very much like a mime feeling the air where the barrier was. "Wait, I think mom mentioned something like this. Either some kind of techy force field or-or one of those ninja tricks – "

"That girl!" Akko realized immediately. "She's trying to keep us from getting to Luna Nova."

Amanda looked wildly around. A dozen curious people were still watching them.

"Son of a…damn it!" growled Amanda, pounding her fist uselessly against the invisible wall. "We're going to miss the train. There's gotta be something we can do – "

Akko looked up at the giant clock with a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach. Ten seconds…nine seconds…"

She wheeled her trolley forward cautiously until it was right against the barrier and pushed with all her might. It didn't budge.

Three seconds…two seconds…one second…

"It's gone," said Amanda, sounding stunned. "The train's left. What if mom and Alphonse can't get back through to us? You got any money?"

"All I got is yen," said Akko. "Wait, aren't you the rich one here?"

"Mom doesn't trust me with money anymore," said Amanda. "Not since I tried to buy the American Chariot Race team. Damn it…I don't know how long it'll take mom and Alphonse to get back to us."

They looked around. People were still watching them, mainly because of their little mime act against the invisible barrier.

"We can't just let it end like this," said Akko. "We can't let her win. Can't we use a teleportation spell?"

"Luna Nova doesn't have a checkpoint; it would be bad if anyone could just magically pop in," said Amanda, "There are the Corridors of Darkness, but those are extremely dangerous, as the name implies, and no one can go through safely without protective armor or Black Coats. Besides that, there's no other way to get to Luna Nova, unless you somehow know how to teleport from one place to another."

Akko scrunched her brow in heavy thought with her hands on her hips when she felt a familiar sensation of cold metal. She looked down at the Shiny Rod and the single Star of Arcturus that she had recovered not too long ago. The Star of Energy, the key to summoning Chariot's Shiny Arc, which Chariot used for her performances so long ago….

"That's it!" Akko suddenly shouted, making Amanda jump. "We'll use the Shiny Rod to get to Luna Nova."

"Okay…you're gonna have to explain that one," said Amanda, frowning. "Last I checked, you had the Star of Energy, not the Star of Space. You can't teleport us anywhere."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," said Akko snobbishly. "You have a lot to learn, Amanda – "

"I don't want to hear that from you," Amanda retorted.

"I'm not going to use the Shiny Rod to teleport us," Akko continued. "I'm gonna use the Shiny Arc to punch a hole in the Ley Lines. They're basically like subways tunnels for the world, right? Once I open a hole, you can fly us through the Ley Lines on your broom. I saw Chariot do it during one of her old performances."

"But they Ley Lines are empty, remember?" said Amanda. "All the magic was released into the atmosphere?"

"That doesn't mean the Ley Lines themselves are gone," said Akko knowingly. "How do you think Professor Ursula got us to Luna Nova last year."

"Hmm, that's a good point," said Amanda, nodded in recognition. "But aren't you still on probation?"

"The letter said that I can't use magic unless it's an emergency," said Akko. "And I think this is a huge emergency. C'mon, we have to go!"

"Well, when you put it like that," said Amanda thoughtfully. "Okay, let's do it. If I remember correctly, there's actually a huge Ley Line underneath the station. Now that I think about it, the train might be following along the Ley Lines, too – that's why it gets to places so fast. C'mon, if we hurry, we might be able to beat the train to school – "

And they marched off through the crowd of curious people, out of the terminal and around the corner to the side of the building.

Amanda pulled out her broomstick from inside her trunk before tying all of their luggage to the tail end and patching them with a bunch of strange devices that rendered the trunks weightless.

"Anti-gravity units," Amanda answered to Akko's mystified expression. "Constanze sent them to me over the summer. Check to make sure no one's watching. New York is technically a no-fly zone."

Akko poked her head around the corner: traffic was rumbling along the main road, clusters of people were going in and out of the terminal, but no one seemed to be looking their direction.

"Okay," she said.

"Then hang on tight," said Amanda as she and Akko mounted her broom. **"** ** _Tia Freyre!_** **"**

The next moment, Akko felt her feet leave the ground and a sense of familiar weightlessness returned. It had been a long time since she had been on a broom – well, one that actually worked for her, at least. Akko could feel the broomstick vibrating beneath her, an odd new sensation as the Shooting Star was always so smooth and calm. The ground and buildings on either side fell away as they rose higher into the New York skyline; in seconds, the whole of Midtown lay below them.

"This is about as high as I can go," said Amanda as they were near the top of the Chrysler Building. "If you're gonna do something, now would be the time."

Akko pulled out the Shiny Rod from her belt and took a deep, relaxing breath. She knew the words by heart, she remembered the sensation she felt when she first called up it, and then the words spilled naturally from her lips:

" ** _Noctu Orfei Aude Fraetor!_** "

A flaring green light enveloped the Shiny Rod, suddenly becoming unraveled in threads of light and weaving together into the shape of a longbow. Akko pulled back the silver string and an arrow of green light materialized in her fingers. She took her time to aim with the powerful weapon before she loosened her fingers with a powerful cry:

" **SHINY ARC!** "

The arrow shot across the skyline like a shooting star, traveling only half the distance of the square below before it exploded outwards. A ring of ethereal green energy suddenly appeared over the city, opening into a massive swirling void.

"Hold on!" Amanda yelled, and they darted forward into the swirling mass of ethereal energy; Akko looked back to see the portal close behind them.

"Now what?" said Akko, blinking at the wispy mass of spiritual-green energy pressing in on them from all side.

"First, we need to figure out where we're going," said Amanda. "The most I know is that Luna Nova it's in England."

"Think we should follow the train?" asked Akko. "You did say that it might follow the Ley Lines, too."

"Okay, if I remember last year, the train stopped in Durado next – let's pop out quickly – "

Akko punctured another hole in the Ley Line, popping out over a large Mexican city, and twisted around on Amanda's broom, squinting at the ground.

"I can see it!" Akko yelled. "Right there – it's moving!

The purple bullet train dusted with stars and euphoretic colors was pulling out of the station and streaking along the countryside like a blur.

"Looks like it's headed toward Wakanda next," said Amanda, checking the compass app on her phone. "Okay, we'll just have to check on it every half hour or so – get us out of here, the heat's ruining my skin."

Akko shot another arrow into the air and they popped back into the Ley Lines.

"Now all we gotta worry about is accidentally popping out at the wrong place," said Amanda.

"Knowing our luck, we'll probably end up on Mars," said Akko jokingly.

They looked at each other and started to laugh; for a long time, they couldn't stop.

It was as though they had been plunged into a fabulous dream. This, thought Akko, was surely the only way to travel – past swirls and turrets of wispy lights, riding a broomstick with the wind blowing in their hair, a bag of hard candy in Amanda's pockets, and the hilarious prospect of seeing the stupefied look on Diana's face when they landed smoothly and spectacularly on the sweeping lawn in front of Luna Nova castle.

They made regular check on the train as they flew around the world in eighty minutes, each dip out of the Ley Lines showing them a different view: scorching hot deserts in Egypt, the humidity and beastly sounds of the Malaysian jungles, the wide-open plains of Finland, and the cold, blustering winds of Russia. They only had a brief moment to stop over the crowded streets of Shibuya before the train took off again.

Several uneventful hours later, however, Akko had to admit that some of the fun was wearing off. The hard candies were starting to hurt her teeth and the hard broomstick was making her butt sore. She and Amanda shivered as the cold wind started to chill them to the bone and Akko sorely wished she had the foresight to pack a coat for the summer. She had stopped noticing the fantastic shapes in the swirling miasma and was thinking longingly of the train, where you could buy ice-cold juice from a trolley pushed by a dimpled attendant. Akko cursed the little ninja for not letting them board the train. How far was she really willing to get to keep her away?

"Can't be much further, can it?" croaked Amanda, hours later still, as they peeked out once more and the sun started to sink over the horizon, straining the sky in a deep pink. "Do you see the train?"

Akko bended over the side. It was still right below them, winding its way past a snow-capped mountain. Akko started to pull back the string of the Shiny Arc when she noticed the arrow flickering briefly before it became solid. And when they poked back into the Ley Line, it wasn't long before she felt the broom shudder underneath them and Amanda was panting heavily while red in the face.

"Flying uses just as much magic as any spell," Amanda wheezed. "I've never used magic continuously like this before…. It's nothing…I can make it…."

She didn't seem very convincing with the sweat dripping from her brow or the way her broomstick dipped at random moments. They poked their way out of the Ley Lines half an hour later into a sky of steady darkness. Stars were blossoming above their heads. Akko felt a harsh wind blow against her skin and her teeth chattered loudly as she tried to warm her arms.

"Not far," said Amanda, more to herself than to Akko, "not far now."

When they flew beneath the clouds a little while later, they had to squint through the darkness for a landmark they knew.

" _There!_ " Akko shouted, making Amanda jump. "Straight ahead!"

Silhouetted on the dark horizon, surrounded by a sea of blackened trees, stood the many turrets and towers of Luna Nova castle.

But then the broomstick began to shudder underneath them just as they were soaring over the trees of the Arcturus Forest.

"Well, Akko, I've got good news and bad news," said Amanda, sounding very tired. "The good news is we made it to Luna Nova."

"And the bad news?" Akko asked apprehensively.

"…I'm out of magic."

And then they started to drop. They were falling, gathering speed, heading straight for the solid castle wall.

" _Noooooo!_ " Amanda yelled, pulling the head of her broomstick around; they missed the dark stone wall by inches as their broom turned in a great arc, soaring over the dark greenhouses, then the vegetable patch, and then out over the black lawns. Amanda reached inside her pocket looking for her wand when she remembered that she had put it inside her luggage during the trip. They were plummeting fast, the ground flying up toward them –

"WE'RE GOTTA HIT THAT GIANT PLANT!" Akko screamed.

"WHY IS THERE A GIANT PLANT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LAWN?" Amanda yelled back.

 _ **CRASH!**_

With an earsplitting crack of snapping wood, they hit the thick stalk of the bulbous purple flower and dropped to the ground with a heavy jolt. Akko laid there, sprawled on the damp ground, their luggage thrown haphazardly around them; a golf ball-size lump was throbbing on her head where she headbutted the plant; and to her right, Amanda let out a low, despairing groan.

"Are you okay?" Akko said urgently.

"My broom," said Amanda in a shaky voice. "Look at my broom – "

It had snapped, almost in two; the head was dangling limply, held on by a few splinters.

Akko opened her mouth to say she was sure they'd be able to fix it up at the school, but she never even got started. At that very moment, something slithered around her ankle and grabbed on to her with a vice-like grip, pulling her closer to the plant just as the same thing happened to Amanda.

"What's happen – "

Amanda gasped, staring straight forward, and Akko looked around just in time to see the massive purple bulb of the plant start to rise above their heads. The plant began to bloom, parting in four directions and exposing its yellow core along with the dozen eyeball-looking marks on its petals. The plant hissed at them as recognition washed over Akko and Amanda.

"Akko, please tell me that isn't what I think it is?" murmured Amanda.

"If you're think it's a Mandrake, then I can't," said Akko.

"Oh, come on!" Amanda whined. "Didn't we get enough of this thing last year?"

The Mandrake twisted its vine and snapped the pair up off the ground, dangling them so that they were on level with the plant monster's maw. Amanda tried to wiggle her way out of the Mandrake's vine, but the plant beast snapped its tendrils at Amanda's wrists to keep her from messing with them. Akko tried to call on the Shiny Arc one more time, but her body was weak and tired from using the same spell repeatedly over the last several hours. The Mandrake hovered its prickling petals over the girls, ready to devour them –

Suddenly, the Mandrake's vines inexplicably caught fire. The plant monster screeched in pain as it threw its bulbous head backwards while unconsciously loosening its grip and dropping Akko and Amanda on the ground.

"Run for it!" Amanda shouted.

Akko and Amanda bounced back to their feet and started running towards the castle…but then quickly doubled back to collect their things before running again. The Mandrake stopped writhing in pain and seemed to come to the conclusion that they were the ones responsible for hurting it. The plant was still trying to reach them; they could hear its roots creaking as it almost ripped itself up, lashing out at them as they sped out of reach.

The whole time, nobody noticed the woman standing at the top most tower of Luna Nova, her hair glowing red like wildfire.

"That," panted Akko, "was too close."

"Can you _believe_ our luck?" said Amanda miserably. "What are the chances that we would run into _another_ Mandrake in only a few months. Why is there a Mandrake in the lawn anyway?"

"Uh…this might have something to do with it," said Akko.

She was pointing to a sign that was propped up at a safe distance away from the Mandrake. It read: " _ **Property of Sucy Manbavaran. Do not touch!**_ " And there was little cartoon Sucy in the corner of the sign with a speech bubble that said: " _ **Grow up big and strong, Gora-Chan!**_ "

"…Did I ever mention how much I hate her?" said Amanda dryly.

"Come on," said Akko wearily, "we'd better get up to the school…."

It wasn't at all the triumphant arrival they had pictured. Stiff, cold, and bruised, they seized the ends of their trunks and began dragging them up the grassy slope, toward the massive mahogany doors.

"I think the Sorting's already started," said Amanda dropping her trunk at the foot of the front steps and crossing quietly to look through a brightly lit window. "Yeah, I was right – they just brought out the Magic Mirror."

Akko hurried over and, together, she and Amanda peered in the Assembly Hall.

Innumerable glowing spirits were hovering close to the ceiling over five large rows of bleachers underneath a different banner representing one of the five houses. On the far right side, underneath the starry banner of Polaris, Akko saw Lotte sitting beside her sickly-looking best friend Sucy Manbavaran, who looked just as bored and expressionless as ever. In the row behind them, the plump Jasminka Antonenko was stuffing herself with candy from her bottomless bucket and the diminutive Constanze was more focused on tinkering with Stan-Bot than paying any attention to the ceremony. And down in the very front underneath the crescent moon banner of Lunar House was Diana, perfectly poised and attentive, sitting between Hannah and Barbara. Meanwhile, Professor Ursula, a bespectacled witch with watery-blue hair, was placing the famous Magic Mirror in the middle of the hall.

Every year, this dirty mirror, scratched and dusty, sorted new students into the five Luna Nova houses (Polaris, Lunar, Corona, Eclipse, and Twilight). Akko well remembered standing in front of the mirror, exactly one year ago, and waiting, petrified, for its decision as it whispered in her head. For a few horrible seconds, she had feared that the mirror wasn't going to put her in Polaris, the same house of Shiny Chariot – but she had ended up exactly where she wanted to be, along with Amanda, Lotte, and all her friends – except for Diana. Last year, it was Diana who had pushed her house over to win the House championship, as proven by the glittering silver trophy sitting in front of their bleachers for all to see, but it was Akko who had earned the coveted title of Moonlit Witch – Akko thinks she still has the costume in her luggage.

A small, sickly-looking girl that would give Sucy a run for her money had been called forward to stand in front of the mirror. Akko's eyes wandered past her to where Professor Holbrooke, the headmistress, stood watching the Sorting, easily the tiniest person in the room and the only one who needed to stand on a stool to be seen. Several feet to her right, Akko saw Annabel Crème flicking through her cellphone with those dead fish eyes, not even trying to pretend she was interested in the Sorting. And there at the end was Croix, cross-armed and grinning amusingly, as the sickly girl weakly stalked to the bleachers for her own house (Eclipse).

"Hang on…" Akko muttered to Amanda. "There's an empty spot in the staff…. Where's Professor Finnelan?"

Professor Anne Finnelan was Akko's least favorite teacher. Akko also happened to be Professor Finnelan's least favorite student, though, honestly, Akko couldn't fault her for that. She had singlehandedly caused more disasters in a classroom in one week than most people do in their whole lifetimes; even a saint would be hard-pressed not to lose their patience with her.

"Maybe she's sick!" said Amanda hopefully.

"Or maybe she was _fired_!" said Akko enthusiastically. "I mean, everyone hates her – "

"Or maybe," said a spine-chilling voice right behind them, "she's waiting to hear why you two didn't arrive on the school train."

Akko spun around. There, her Luna Nova teacher's robe rippling in a cold breeze, stood Anne Finnelan. She was a very thin woman with an angular face ripened with age, and graying brunette hair tied up in a bun, and at this moment, she was smiling in a way that told Akko she and Amanda were in very deep trouble.

"Follow me," said Professor Finnelan.

Not even daring to look at each other, Akko and Amanda followed Professor Finnelan up the steps into the vast, echoing entrance hall, which was lit with torches of green flames. A delicious smell of food was wafting from the dining hall, but Professor Finnelan led them away from the warmth and light, up the spiral staircases to the first floor, which was lacking any light source.

"In!" she said, opening a door halfway down the cold passageway and pointing.

They entered Professor Finnelan's office, shivering. The fireplace was dark and empty. The only source of light came from a single candle that Professor Finnelan lit herself, casting deep shadows across her face that made her appear more menacing than usual.

"So," she said softly, "the train isn't good enough for the Moonlit Witch Atsuko Kagari and her faithful sidekick, O'Neill. Wanted to arrive with a _bang_ , did we, girls?"

"No, ma'am, there was a barrier at Grand Central Terminal, it – "

"Silence!" said Professor Finnelan coldly. "What were you thinking, flying through the Ley Lines to reach Luna Nova? Do you understand how dangerous that is?"

Akko and Amanda turned to each other, wondering if Professor Finnelan had gained mind reading powers over the summer or if she already had them. But a moment later, she understood, as Professor Finnelan unrolled today's issue of the evening news.

"You were seen," she hissed, showing the headline: **UNIDENTIFIED FLYING WITCHES SPOTTED WORLDWIDE.** She began to read aloud: "Two men in Midtown were convince they saw two witches flying over the Chrysler Building, despite New York having a strict no flying law…half an hour later, these same witches were spotted over Cairo…then again in Ethiopia…six or seven sightings in total, all claiming that these witches suddenly appear in a vortex of green energy and then disappear just as quick as they came. I believe _your_ mother is the Head of the Department of International Relations?" she said, looking up at Amanda. "Dear, dear...her own daughter…"

Akko felt as though she'd rather have been eaten by the Mandrake. If anyone found out it had been them that had broken the law, not only would it bring up Akko's probation, but it would cause a considerable amount of trouble for the O'Neill family.

"I noticed, in my search of the park, that considerable damage seems to have been done to a very valuable Mandrake, grown by your own roommate, no less," Professor Finnelan went on.

"Hey, that weed did more damage to _us_ than we – " Amanda blurted out.

" _Silence!_ " snapped Professor Finnelan again. "Most unfortunately, you are not in my House and the decision to expel you does not rest with me. I shall go and fetch the people who _do_ have that happy power. You will wait here."

Akko and Amanda stared at each other, white-faced. Akko didn't feel hungry any more. She now felt extremely sick. If Professor Finnelan had gone to fetch Professor Ursula, head of Polaris House, they were hardly better off. She might have been fair and a good friend to Akko, but she was easily intimidated by Professor Finnelan, as was every other teacher.

Ten minutes later, Professor Finnelan returned, and sure enough it was Professor Ursula who accompanied her. Professor Ursula rarely got mad at Akko, being unreasonably more understanding than any of the other teachers, but there were a few times when she really got angry and during each one, her mouth would go very thin and her eyes would narrow in a way that made Akko feel small. She raised her wand the moment she entered; Akko and Amanda both flinched, but she merely pointed it at the empty fireplace, where flames suddenly erupted.

"Sit," she said, and they both backed into chairs by the fire.

"Explain," she said, her glasses glinting ominously.

Akko launched into the story, staring with the barrier at the station and her suspicions of ninja witch's involvement.

" – so we have no choice, Professor, we couldn't get on the train."

"Why didn't you just send us a text or e-mail? You _at least_ thought of that before putting yourselves in danger, right?" Ursula said coldly to Akko.

Akko gaped at her. Now that she said it, it did seem like the most obvious thing to do.

"I – I didn't think –

"That," said Professor Finnelan, "is obvious."

There was a knock on the office door and Professor Finnelan, now looking happier than ever, opened it. There stood the headmistress, Professor Holbrooke.

Akko's whole body went numb. Professor Holbrooke was looking unusually grave. She stared up at them over her glasses, and Akko suddenly found herself wishing she and Amanda were still being strangled by Sucy's Mandrake.

There was a long silence. Then Holbrooke said, "Please explain why you did this."

It would have been better if she had shouted. Akko hated the disappointment in her voice. For some reason, she was unable to look Holbrooke in the eyes, and spoke instead to her knees. For a quarter of an hour, Akko explained everything again, including the mentioning of ninja witch's previous attempts to keep her away from Luna Nova Academy, somehow hoping beyond hope it would make her more understanding. When Akko had finished, she merely continued to peer at them through her spectacles.

"We'll go and get our stuff," said Amanda in a hopeless sort of voice.

"What are you talking about, Aman – I mean, Miss O'neill," Ursula sputtered, remembering that there were other teachers present.

"Well, you're expelling us, aren't you?" said Amanda.

Akko looked quickly at Holbrooke.

"Not today, Miss O'Neill," said Holbrooke. "But I must impress upon both of you the seriousness of what you have done. I will be writing to both your families tonight. I must also warn you that if you do anything like this again, I will have no choice but to expel you."

Professor Finnelan looked as though Christmas had been canceled. She cleared her throat and said, "Professor Holbrooke, these girls have broken over a dozen international laws, caused serious damage to a very valuable Mandrake – surely acts of this nature – "

"It will be for Professor Ursula to decide on these girls' punishments, Anne," said Holbrooke calmly. "They are in her House and therefore her responsibility." She turned to Ursula. "I must go back to the feast, Ursula, I've got to give out a few notices. Come, Anne, there's a delicious-looking fudge cake I want to sample – "

Professor Finnelan shot a look of pure venom at Akko and Amanda as she allowed herself to be swept out of her office, leaving them alone with Ursula, who was still eyeing them like a wrathful eagle.

"You had better get along to the hospital wing, Amanda, you're bleeding."

"Not by much," said Amanda, hastily wiping the cut over her eye with her sleeve.

"Um, Professor," said Akko anxiously. "When we did…what we did, school hadn't started yet, so – so Polaris isn't going to lose any points, is it?"

Ursula gave her a piercing look, but her expression softened into a small smile.

"I will not take any points from Polaris," she said, and Akko's heart lightened considerably. "But you will both get a detention."

It was better than Akko had expected. Now the only thing Akko had to fear was Holbrooke writing to her mom. For someone with no magical potential, Kaori Kagari could scare the scales off even the toughest dragon. Akko shivered at the thought of how angry her mom was going to get when word reached her.

Ursula raised her wand again and pointed it at Professor Finnelan's desk. A large plate of sandwiches, two plastic cups, and a jug of apple cider appeared with a pop.

"You will eat in here and then go straight up to your dormitory," she said. "I must also return to the feast."

When the door had closed behind her, Amanda let out a long, low whistle.

"I thought we'd had it," she said, grabbing a sandwich.

"So did I," said Akko, taking one, too.

"Can you believe our luck, though," said Amanda thickly through a mouthful of chicken and ham. "First the barrier at the station, then dropping thirty feet out of the air just to smack into a Mandrake, nearly get eaten by said Mandrake, and worst of all, my broom is still busted." She swallowed and took another huge bite. "I swear, it's got to be you. You're like a bad luck charm."

"That was my nickname in my old school," said Akko with a short laugh. "We'll have to watch our step from now on, though." She took a grateful swig of apple cider. "Wish we could have gone down to the feast…."

"She didn't want us showing off," said Amanda sagely. "Doesn't want people to think it's okay, arriving by broomstick."

When they had eaten as many sandwiches as they could (the plate kept refilling itself) they rose and left the office, treading the familiar path to Polaris Tower. The castle was quiet; it seemed that the feast was over. They walked past muttering portraits and creaking suits of armor, and climbed narrow flights of stairs, until they reached the passage where the secret entrance to Polaris Tower was hidden, behind a solid brick wall studded with a hundred green marbles that glittered like stars in the night sky.

"Uh…do you know the sequence to opening the door?" Amanda asked suddenly.

They didn't know the new year's code sequence; Ursula neglected to mention it when she was berating them, but help came almost immediately; they hurrying feet behind them and turned to see Lotte dashing toward them.

" _There_ you are! Where have you _been_? I've been hearing all these crazy rumors – someone said you'd been expelled for flying a broomstick – "

"Well, we haven't been expelled," Akko assured her.

"You're not tell me you _did_ fly here?" gasped Lotte.

"Skip the lecture," said Amanda impatiently, "and show us the new code sequence."

"You just have to do this," said Lotte, tapping six marbles in a pattern, "but that's not the point – "

Her words were cut short, however, as the wall slid out of the way and there was a sudden storm of clapping. It looked as though the whole of Polaris House was still awake, packed into the circular room, standing on lopsided tables and squashy armchairs, waiting for them to arrive. Arms reached through the archway to pull Akko and Amanda inside, leaving Lotte to scramble in after them.

"Brilliant!" yelled Avery Buckland. "Inspired! What an entrance! Flying a broom all the way from New York right into the Mandrake, people'll be talking about that one for years – "

"Good for you," said a fifth year Akko had never spoken to; someone was patting her on the back as though she'd just won a marathon. Amanda was scarlet in the face, grinning embarrassingly, but Akko could see one person who didn't look happy at all. Amelia was visibly over the heads of some excited first years, and she seemed to be trying to get close enough to start telling them off. Akko nudged Amanda in the ribs and nodded in Amelia's direction. Amanda got the point at once.

"Got to get upstairs – really tired," she said, and the two of them started pushing their way toward the door on the other side of the room, which led to a spiral staircase and the dormitories.

"'Night," Akko called back to Lotte, who was gaping at her from a distance.

They managed to get to the other side of the common room, still having their backs slapped, and gained the peace of the staircase. They hurried up it, right to the top, and at last reached the door of their old dormitory, which now had a sign on it saying SECOND YEARS. They entered the familiar, circular room, with its six four-posters hung with apple-red velvet curtains dotted with stars and its high, narrow windows. Their trunks had been brought up for them and sitting on the space designated was Blair the Witch Cat, curled up on the duvet and tipping her tiny witch's hat at them.

"Heard the news about what you two did," said Blair, snickering. "You are more like your mom than I thought. Remember that story about how she and I flew that flying car into a tree?"

Akko grinned guiltily at Blair.

"I know I shouldn't have enjoyed that or anything, but – "

The dormitory door flew open and in came Jasminka and Constanze – Constanze pushed Akko to one side and immediately went straight to hugging Amanda, until she realized what she was doing and broke contact, her cheeks turned bright red. Thankfully, Jasminka was more mindful and helped Akko back up.

"That was Amazing, Akko," beamed Jasminka. "You always know how to make life interesting."

Akko couldn't help it. She was grinning until her cheeks hurt…or until Sucy walked in, pointing her wand at them with a terrifying pissed-off look on her face.

"You hurt Gora-Chan!" she hissed.

They were not going to get any sleep tonight.

* * *

 **Fun fact: Gora-Chan is the same Mandrake from last year that Sucy killed and then regrew for her own personal use (and she may or may not have used an accelerated growth hormone to do so). Aikatsu is stepping up her game to keep Akko from whatever danger is looming over Luna Nova, but we all know she would find a way around it. I hope everyone was paying particular attention to one small detail during the chapter: Akko can't even perform a simple spell like flying, but can pull off over a dozen successful Shiny Arcs before she lost stamina. Be sure to remember this in the future. Keep an eye out for things like this because this is a very important plot point.**

 **Next Chapter: Annabel Crème**


	6. Annabel Crème

The next day, Akko was hardly feeling as proud as she did last night. Things started to go downhill from breakfast in the dining hall. Thousands of round tables scattered throughout the three levels of the massive room, some glittering with fancy ornaments and others chipped and moldy. When Akko sat with Lotte, Sucy, Amanda, Jasminka, and Constanze at their usual table, she could feel someone glaring a hole in the back of her head. She turned around and spotted Diana sitting at the table next to them between Hannah and Barbara, leering over the edge of her tea cup. Something told Akko she wasn't particularly happy with her and Amanda's little stunt last night.

"Mail's due to arrive any minute," said Lotte. "I asked my granny to send the rest of my Night Fall book – do you think Professor Crème will sign them all?"

Akko had only just started her scone when, sure enough, there was a whooshing sound overhead and a dozen witches on broomsticks carrying mail bags flew in through the open doorway, circling the hall and dropping letters and packages into the chattering crowd. One particular witch was heaving a massive package the size of a fully-grown man and dropped it at Lotte's feet; looks like her Night Fall books came in. A second later, Wangari stopped next to Akko and handed Akko what looked like one of Croix's Sorcerer Units.

"What the?" Akko managed to say before Wangari took off. "Hey, I think you've got the wrong person!"

"No, that's for you, Miss Kagari."

"Professor Croix!" Akko jumped in surprise, having not realized that Croix had snuck up behind her. "Don't do things like that! And what do you mean it's for me? Is this a gift?"

"Not exactly," said Croix, looking very guilty while scratching her chin. "You see, when Professor Ursula called your parents, your mom got real pissed and demanded to speak to you immediately. Since outsiders aren't allowed at Luna Nova, we compromised and made a video recording…."

Akko immediately dropped the Sorcerer Unit and took cover behind her chair as if expecting the thing to explode.

"Miss Kagari, you're going to have to watch it eventually," said Croix.

"Can't I not and say I did," said Akko in a faint whimper.

"You better just get it over with," said Croix faintly. "Trust me, I know what it's like to deal with angry parents – I get plenty of those during parent-teacher conferences. It'll only get worse the more you put it off."

That didn't ease Akko's mind at all. From one look at their fearless (unofficial) leader's face, Lotte and the others subtle backed away until they were sitting at Diana's table; Diana herself looked immensely pleased with the situation.

"Watch it," Croix urged. "It'll all be over in a few minutes – "

Akko stretched out a shaky hand, hovered her finger over the button for a few precarious seconds, before pressing it. A holographic image of Kaori Kagari floated over the Sorcerer Unit. Though she was transparent and only a foot tall, Akko felt like she was staring into the jaws of a dragon. At the same time, Croix and the teachers were slipping on earplug they had handy. A second later, Akko knew why. She thought for a moment the Sorcerer Unit had exploded; a roar of sound filled the huge hall, shaking dust from the ceiling.

" ** _ATSUKO RUKIA KAGARI! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING PULLING A STUNT LIKE THAT? FLYING A LITTLE BROOMSTICK HALFWAY AROUND THE WORLD! PUTTING YOURSELF IN DANGER! WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR HEAD? I'LL TELL YOU: NOTHING! I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU! YOU WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU! YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO SIT DOWN FOR A MONTH! DID YOU EVEN STOP TO THINK HOW YOUR FATHER AND I WOULD HAVE FELT IF SOMETHING HAPPENED_ – ** "

Mrs. Kagari's screams, a hundred times louder than usual, made the plates and spoons rattle on the table, and echoed deafeningly off the marble walls. People throughout the hall were swiveling around to see where the noise was coming from, and Akko sunk so low that only her crimson forehead could be seen.

" – **_PHONE CALL FROM YOUR HEADMISTRESS LAST NIGHT! I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME! WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS! YOU AND THAT AMANDA GIRL COULD HAVE DIED_ – "**

From the next table over, Amanda lowered her head and tried to cover herself with her arms.

" – **_ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED – MISS O'NEILL IS FACING AN INQUIRY AT HER WORK AND IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT! IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE, I WILL COME TO LUNA NOVA AND PULL YOU OUT MYSELF! DO I MAKE MYSELF CL_ – ** "

Suddenly, the Sorcerer Unit exploded on the table, making Akko fall back on the floor, and caught fire. Professor Akane came around quickly with a fire extinguisher and put out the flames. Croix leaned over the ruined machine with a curious gaze.

"Huh, I guess the Sorcerer Units can only transmit so much rage," said Croix intriguingly.

Akko lay on the floor stunned, as though a tidal wave had just passed over her. A few people laughed and, gradually, a babble of talk broke out again.

Diana put down her teacup with a clatter and smiled over the edge of the table to look down over Akko.

"Well, I don't know what you expected, Kagari, but you – "

"Don't tell me I deserved it," snapped Akko.

Akko didn't eat anything more after that. Her insides were burning with guilt. Not only had she worried her parents, but Councilwoman Ava was facing an inquiry at work, no doubt for her and Amanda's blatant disregard for crossing international borders. And after all she had done for Akko over the summer…

But she had no time to dwell on this; Ursula was moving around the dining hall, handing out course schedules for the Polaris students. Akko took hers and saw that they had double Basic Herbalism first.

Akko and the others left the castle together, crossed the vegetable patch, and made for the greenhouses, where the magical plants were kept. At least the recording had done one good thing: Diana seemed to think Akko had now been punished enough and was no long leering at her disdainfully (thought she still wouldn't call Akko by her first name). As they neared the greenhouses they saw the rest of the class standing outside, waiting for Professor Cosmos. Akko and the others had only just joined when she came striding into view across the lawn, accompanied by Annabel Crème. Professor Cosmos' arms were full of bandages, and with another twinge of guilt, Akko spotted Gora-Chan in the distance, several of its vines wrapped in cloth soaked with yellow liquid.

Professor Cosmos was a tall, curvaceous young woman who wore a puffy cap over her messy curtain of sakura-pink hair; there was usually a large amount of earth on her clothes and her fingers would have made Mrs. Kagari faint. Annabel crème, however, was immaculate in her chic gothic Lolita outfit, her wavy golden hair glimmering in the sunlight.

" - the healing properties of the willow root sap can extend to more than just human – oh, hello there!" called Professor Cosmos, beaming around when she noticed the assembled students. "I was just explaining to Annabel – I mean, Professor Crème – about mending an injured Mandrake. Professor, if you really want to know more about the Mandrake, I would suggest talking to Sucy Manbavaran here." She pointed Sucy out in the crowd. "She planted that very Mandrake three months ago and it's already bloomed as if it had been around for twenty. I don't know how she does it."

"Toxic chemicals and illegal stimulants," said Sucy casually.

"Why are you asking about Mandrakes, professor?" asked Jasminka interestingly.

"Reference material," said Annabel Crème shortly.

"All right, that's enough of that!" shouted Professor Cosmos. "Everyone in greenhouse six today! Come on, get a move on!"

There was a murmur of interest. They had only every worked in greenhouse two before – greenhouse six housed far more interesting and dangerous plants. Professor Cosmos took a large key from her pocket and unlocked the door. Immediately their senses were assaulted by a heavy perfume of smells that seemed like a mixture between rotten cabbages and fruity beverages. It was very disorienting. Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka had already stepped inside, but Sucy pulled her back by her sleeve and then pointed to Lotte.

Their bespectacled friend had frozen in place, almost statue-like, and was gaping like an idiot while she stared at Annabel Crème. The tiny author was swiping her smart phone with a deep frown on her face when she finally realized she was being watched and looked up. She actually took a step back, look very uncomfortable under Lotte's admiring gaze.

"Um…can I help you?" asked Annabel Crème hesitantly.

Lotte squeaked – actually squeaked like a little dormouse – when Annabel crème addressed her. She fumbled with her words, unable to compose herself in front of her idol.

"Um-um-um, Miss Crème – I mean, Lady Annabel – I mean, Professor Annabel – I mean – "

"Annabel Crème will do fine," said Annabel Crème, looking over Lotte strangely. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"N-n-no, not really, no," Lotte sputtered, going red from embarrassment. "I just wanted to say…I'm your biggest fan."

"Well, thank you, I guess," said Annabel Crème, not looking too convinced.

"It's true – I know everything about the Night Fall books!" Lotte suddenly shouted. "I've read every volume at least twice! I absolutely love all your books! There are so many interesting developments like during the Prison Arc when Belle caught the nuke with her bare hands, or the saga of them aiming for the a cappella world championships, or when Edgar lends Arthur his shoehorn in volume 363! I just finished reading your latest book. I was really surprised when Arthur went to space, but he's been unconsciously wanting to go for the longest time. It's just like when his Oedipus complex was revealed in the past! Experts have been predicting this for ages! Fans have been waiting for this development forever!"

"Do you understanding anything she's saying?" Akko whispered to Sucy.

"Not a word," answered Sucy.

Lotte seemed to rambling on endlessly about things Akko couldn't even wrap her mind around like werewolves and vampires and time travel. But what she did notice was that the longer Lotte kept going on about Night Fall, the grimmer Annabel's expression became until finally she turned on her heels with her hair whipping behind her and marched off towards the castle.

Lotte stood stunned for a few seconds, taken aback by Annabel Crème's sudden leave.

"So uh…I'll see you in class, Professor!" Lotte called out weakly.

"Well, that was rude," said Sucy.

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Akko scoffed. "Just because she's a big-time author, she thinks that make it okay to just – "

"I'm sure she's just busy getting ready for class," Lotte interjected. "She didn't mean anything by it…. Come on, we still have class."

She grabbed Akko and Sucy by the arms and dragged them inside the greenhouse.

Professor Cosmos was standing behind a trestle bench in the center of the greenhouse. About twenty different pairs of gas masks were lying on the bench; this did not instill confidence in Akko. When she Lotte and Sucy took their place, she said, "We'll be harvesting Sonnentreppe today. Now, tell me what Sonnentreppe is and their properties?"

To nobody's surprise, Diana Cavendish's hand was the first in the air.

" _Sonnentreppe_ , also known as the Stairway to the Sun, are a rare breed of plant that produce a highly potent non-carcinogenic mutagen," said Diana, sounding as usual as though she had swallowed the textbook. "If synthesized correctly, the _Sonnentreppe_ can be used to mutate human cell to strengthen their immune system from most diseases, making it a near-panacea."

"Excellent. Ten points to Lunar," said Professor Cosmos. "Yes, if used properly, the _Sonnentreppe_ could essentially cure most, if not all, disease in the world. But thus far, no success at a perfect cure has been made. Who can tell me why?"

Diana's hand narrowly missed Hannah's face as it shot up again.

"The _Sonnentreppe_ causes highly volatile reactions when coming into contact with foreign DNA," she said promptly. "Most cases involve terrible side effects such as cannibalistic impulses, loss of intelligence and necrosis. The worst attempt on record is the Raccoon City incident in the North America, 1998."

"Precisely. Take another ten points," said Professor Cosmos. "As of yet, no one has managed to produce a successful strain of the _Sonnentreppe_. At best, we can only use them for simple antibiotics. Now, the plants in front of you have only recently bloomed."

She pointed to a row of deep trays as she spoke, and everyone shuffled forward for a better look. A hundred of so tiny little flowers that resembled bloodstained Chrysanthemums were growing there in rows. They looked quite unremarkable to Akko, but the way Diana talked about them, they seemed to be the cause of a very terrible event.

"Everyone take a gas mask," said Professor Cosmos. "Their pollen won't have any permanent damaging side effects, but careless people have been known to have a craving for raw meat when they breath it in."

There was a scramble as everyone tried to seize one of the modern masks and not the dirty ones that looked like they were from World War I. Akko snapped her own mask on and spun around to Professor Cosmos, whose gas mask was painted pink with tiny flower petals, as she rolled up her sleeves and grasped one of the flowers firmly.

"Remember to firmly grasp it by the roots, never the stem – it's useless without the whole thing," said Professor Cosmos. "Once you have a firm grip, you pull it sharply upwards like so."

She ripped the plant from the tray, roots and all, as a spray of bloody-red pollen splashed in every direction, showering over the student's heads. Akko could feel her skin crawling when the tiny particles landed on her exposed hands and neck; like miniature zaps of electricity. And just as quickly as it came, the sensation passed.

"Don't worry about getting any on your clothes – the pollen naturally evaporates when exposed to oxygen," said Professor Cosmos as she pulled out a large plastic bin from under the table. "Once you have your plant, please toss them into the bin right here. We'll tackle plucking and dicing in another class."

"Uh, Professor, Amanda's trying to eat me," said Jasminka as she gestured to Amanda, who was nibbling on her arm in a dazed state.

"Hmm, looks like she neglected to secure her mask," said Professor Cosmos, shaking her head disappointedly. "Just leave her. She'll be in her right mind in an hour. All right, everyone – four to a tray – I placed the bin over here so everyone can reach it – and be careful of Kathrine, she's teething."

She gave a sharp slap to a spiky, dark-red plant as she spoke, making it draw in the long feelers that had been inching sneakily over her shoulder.

Akko, Lotte, and Sucy were joined at their tray by a familiar face with her bright auburn hair in pigtails and a large red jewel hanging from her neck like Akko's old necklace.

"Hey, Akko-chan, glad to see you made it to school safely," said the girl brightly. "When your mom told my mom that you were going to New York over the summer because of a ninja, I thought she was being weird, but then I got a little worried.

"It was a bit of touch-and-go, but I made it all right," said Akko with a light laugh.

"And by 'all right', you mean crashing into the Mandrake," said the girl teasingly; Akko hung her head shamefully.

"Akko, do you know her?" asked Lotte curiously, pointing to the newcomer.

"Oh, that's right, I never introduced you guys," said Akko, just now realizing her mistake. "Lotte, Sucy, this is my friend, Nanoha Takamachi. Nanoha-chan and I have been friends since forever."

"Her mom works at my family's café," Nanoha explained, shaking hands with Lotte and Sucy. "And I know all about you guys – Akko-chan wouldn't stop talking about you over the summer. Lotte, you're super smart and have a beautiful singing voice" (Lotte blushed with a small smile on her face) " – And Sucy, you're that super-creepy girl that likes mushrooms and experimenting on people."

"Aw, you know me so well," said Sucy, grinning.

"So you two have known each other for a long time?" asked Lotte.

"Nanoha-chan and I have been best friends since we were babies," said Akko brightly. "We used to do everything together: getting stuck in trees, getting lost in the woods, being chased by rabid dogs – "

"All of those things were one hundred percent Akko-chan's fault," said Nanoha. "I was just the hapless victim."

"But that didn't stop you from being friends with me," said Akko pointedly.

"It's true, Akko-chan knows how to make life interested, as I bet you already learned," Nanoha said to Lotte and Sucy, who nodded tiredly. "Unfortunately, we got separated when we went to different schools. I got accepted into the Seishou University-affiliated private school while Akko-chan went to the local public school. When we both got letters from Luna Nova, I was kinda surprised since neither one of us comes from a magical background, although, that was before we found out Akko-chan's mom is Shiny Chariot. My family is completely normal humans, so it's kinda nice to be the special one for a change. Though I really wished we could have been in the same house, Akko-chan."

"Same here, Nanoha-chan," said Akko. "We'd make an awesome team, just like the old days."

"You make it sound like you're an old man," Sucy taunted.

"Hey!" Akko snapped.

"Enough chatter, ladies!" called Professor Cosmos. "Pay attention to what you're doing! And someone give O'Neill a bone to gnaw on or something – she's biting my foot now!"

By the end of the class, Akko, like everyone else, was sweaty, aching, and covered in earth. Everyone traipsed back to the castle for a quick wash and then hurried off to Fundamental Alchemy.

Professor Finnelan's classes were always hard work, but today was especially difficult. Everything Akko had learned last year seemed to have leaked out of her head during the summer. Today they were learning the object metamorphosis spell (" _ **Oruihon Deance**_ ") and Professor Finnelan had given them each a button that they would turn into a wine glass. Unfortunately, every attempt Akko made at the spell resulted in the button flying across the room, accurately smacking Professor Finnelan in the forehead, even when she was hiding under her desk.

Diana, of course, went above and beyond the necessary requirement for passing. With a flick of her wand, the tiny button had become a perfectly accurate replica of the Venus de Milo, right down from the tiniest details in her sculptured face and brushed hairline. Everyone had stopped what they were doing to take a moment and admire Diana's creation; Professor Finnelan was beside herself as usual, flattering Diana with dozens of compliments. Through the flock of admirers, Diana shot a smirk in Akko's direction; Akko's eye twitched irritably and accidentally shot another button at Professor Finnelan.

Akko was relieved to hear the lunch bell. Her brain felt like a wrung sponge. They went down to lunch, where Akko immediately stuffed her face with whatever she could get her hands on, not attempting to hide her sour mood. Akko admitted that Diana was smart and beautiful and she may or may not have a crush on her, but that didn't mean she liked losing to her. Akko couldn't wait until they got to their non-practical classes like History of Magic or Magic Astrology. That would definitely show her.

"What've we got this afternoon?" asked Amanda, chewing on a slab of raw beef.

Constanze transformed her Stan-Bot into a flying screen, which displayed their individual schedules.

"Me and Amanda have Culinary Magic," Jasminka read out loud. "Constanze has Modern Magic with Professor Croix, and Akko, Lotte, and Sucy have – "

"Magical Literate with Annabel Crème!" Lotte shouted with glee.

"I think I've gone deaf in one ear," said Sucy, jabbing her pinkie in her ear canal. "Dial it back a few decibels, will ya?"

Lotte blushed and sat back down, but was noticeably squirming with excitement.

They finished lunch and went outside into the overcast courtyard. Lotte sat down on a stone step and buried her nose in Night Fall again. Akko and the others stood talking about subjects like Chariot Races and pranking Elma, the caretaker of Luna Nova, before Akko became aware that she was being closely watched. Looking up, she saw the very small, sickly-looking girl she had seen standing before the Magic Mirror last night staring at Akko, or more specifically, what was at Akko's waist. Ever since last year when Barbara had attempted to steal the Shiny Rod, Akko had made it a habit of carrying it everywhere she went. When Akko looked at the sickly girl, she went bright red.

"H-Hello?" she said breathlessly, taking a tentative step forward. "I'm – I'm Evie. Evie Winters. I'm in Eclipse. I was just – I was just wondering – is that Shiny Rod? Shiny Chariot's Shiny Rod?" she asked, shakily pointing to the golden staff.

"Uh, yes – yes, it is," said Akko, whipping out the Shiny Rod proudly. "Why? Are you a fan of Shiny Chariot?"

"I love Shiny Chariot," said Evie, suddenly losing her stutter and looking whimsically into space with her hand folded over her heart. "Shiny Chariot stopped performing before I was ever born, but my dad loved her shows and recorded all of them. Her magic was so amazing and wonderful and beautiful. I was born with a weak body and didn't have a whole lot of chances to leave my house because my dad was always worried I might get sick. But when I saw Shiny Chariot perform, it made me want to go out and see that magical world she was talking about for myself. Ever since then, I worked hard to become stronger so that I could learn to make wonderful magic like her. And when I found out that Shiny Chariot used to be a student at Luna Nova, I knew I wanted to go to. My dad was against it at first – he's such a worrywart – but I managed to convince him that as long as I visit the school nurse regularly, he'll let me stay. I was really disappointed when I didn't get into the same house as Shiny Chariot, but at least I got in. That's something, right? And now I get to see the real life Shiny Rod – this is the best day of my – "

Suddenly, she started coughing hard. The others shifted with worry while Akko gently rubbed Evie's back until she stopped.

"You all right?" asked Akko worriedly.

"Yeah, just got a little overexcited," said Evie in a soft, croaking voice. "I can't help myself when it comes to Shiny Chariot."

"Oh god, not another one. As if one Akko wasn't bad enough."

Loud and scathing, Hannah's voice echoed around the courtyard. She and Barbara stopped right behind Evie, and Diana, as always, stood a short distance away from the activity, deciding not to get involved.

"I can't believe there's actually someone else that's as stupid as Akko to fall for that fraud," said Barbara sneered loudly for everyone to hear. "Listen, kid, if you don't want to end up like a third-rate dropout like Akko, you'd be better off forgetting about Shiny Chariot."

"Funny," said Akko angrily, her fists clenching around Shiny Rod. "I seem to remember last year how you were so desperate to get your hands on this, _Barbara_."

"Only because the Claiomh Solais is a powerful magical artifact," hissed Barbara. "It would be better off with someone who could use it for something other than stupid magic shows."

"You're both just jealous," piped up Evie.

" _Jealous?_ " said Hannah, who didn't need to shout anymore: half the courtyard was listening in. "Of what? Akko is a total loser who can't even perform a simple flying spell. The only reason she got that stupid staff was because of dumb luck. Now if anyone deserved to have that staff, it would be Diana. She would totally use it better than Akko or Shiny Chariot."

"Go to hell, you two," said Akko angrily.

"Be careful, Akko," sneered Hannah. "You don't want to start any trouble or your mommy will have to come and take you away from school." She put on a shrill, piercing voice. " _If you put another toe out of line_ – "

A mixture of Eclipse and Lunar students nearby laughed loudly at this. Thankfully, the Polaris, Corona, and Twilight seemed none too pleased. They actually liked Akko.

"Oh, you think you're so funny, huh?" Akko growled. "Let's see if you're still laughing after this. _**Noctu Orfei**_ – "

"Akko, look out!" Lotte warned in a low hiss.

"What's going on out here?"

Ursula was striding toward them with Blair in her cat form trying to keep up. She stopped with a huff between Akko and Evie and Hannah and Barbara, narrowing her gaze on each of them. Hannah and Barbara were whistling innocently, Evie coughed into her fist, and Akko looked mighty guilty pointing the Shiny Rod at Hannah and Barbara mid-sentence. Her gaze lingered on Akko, who was starting to think she should lower her arms by now.

"All right, that's enough everyone, classes will be starting again shortly," Ursula called to the crowd. As they began to disperse, Akko crouched herself behind a pack of fifth years, but Ursula's hand reached out and caught her shoulder before she could make a break for it. "Not you, Miss Kagari. I would like a word with you. The rest of you, up to the castle. Now!"

Lotte, Sucy, and the others remained for but a moment until Ursula's piercing stare fell upon them and they immediately set off back inside. _Cowards_ , Akko thought grudgingly.

"I just don't know what's going through your head these days, Akko," said Ursula with an exasperated sigh. "First, it's riding a broom through the Ley Lines halfway across the world, and now your threatening your classmates with Shiny Arc. The Shiny Rod is not a toy you can play with, Akko, it's the most powerful magical artifact in our world. That comes with a heavy responsibility not to abuse it."

"I know…," Akko mumbled, lowering her gaze shamefully.

"I'm not sure that you do," said Ursula, shaking her head. "Akko, the Shiny Rod chose you, just as it chose your mother. She made the mistake of abusing the Shiny Rod's power for her own selfish desires and it nearly cost her something precious. I'm not trying to be mean, I'm just don't want you to end up making the same mistake. You understand, don't you?"

"I guess…," Akko muttered. "But…what did my mom do that was so bad?"

"Well…let's just say that Chariot learned the hard way that there are better ways to impress your father," said Chariot, suddenly looking very shy as she scratched her cheek.

"Wait, my mom used the Shiny Rod to hit on my dad," said Akko, snickering at the image of a tiny Chariot blasting some guy with a Shiny Arc. "How did that turn out?"

"Well…it certainly got their attention," Ursula said in a dreadful tone; Akko suppressed her laughter behind her hand. "All right, that's enough. Head on up to class or you'll be late."

Akko bounced back up to the school, feeling happy that she wasn't being punished and learned a little something about Shiny Chariot. She swept up the staircase to the second floor where she reached the Magical Literature classroom. Akko spotted Lotte and Sucy sitting in the very front of the classroom, one desk away from Diana's group, and Akko took a seat between them. Lotte had already piled all the required volumes of Night Fall on the desk, practically sparkling with anticipation; Sucy could barely bring herself to even bring a very battered copy of Vol. 360 that looked like it came from the Lost and Found.

"So what did Professor Ursula have to say?" asked Sucy.

"Just wanted to tell me that the Shiny Rod is a big responsibility and that I shouldn't abuse it," answered Akko.

"But you are going to, aren't you?"

"Probably," Akko conceded.

Annabel Crème appeared through a door in the back of the classroom with a heavy book tucked under her arm and the whole class fell silent. She paused in front of the class, taking in everyone's faces and doing a mental roll call of everyone before throwing the heavy tome on her own desk, which was difficult for her since the desk was the same height as her. She took a deep breath and addressed her class.

"Good evening, students," said Annabel Crème, her voice keeping its monotone. "I am Annabel Crème, author of the Night Fall Series and your teacher for Magical Literature. Now I'm sure that most of your think that this will be an easy class – all you have to do is a bit of reading, right? Wrong. Magical Literature is exactly as it sounds – the study of magic through the written word. Most people get the impression that writing magical literature means writing spellbooks and such. While that is true in some parts, the true strength of Magical Literature is the power of the written word. Every book written by magic has its own effect on people – "

"That's true," Hannah hid behind her hand, but didn't bother to lower her voice. "I read her books and it put me to sleep in the first ten pages."

A few people snickered; Lotte looked like she was ready to jump out of her seat and tackle Hannah to the ground. Annabel Crème seemed indifferent to the comment, but she walked around her desk, opened one of the drawers, and pulled out a large stack of paper. She stood on her chair so that the rest of the class could see her over the top of the pile.

"I was hoping that we could just dive into the lesson right away, but now I feel like taking a pop quiz," said Annabel Crème amid the chorus of whines. "I see that most of you have bought the necessary volumes of Night Fall as instructed. Let's check just how well you've read them, how much you've taken in – "

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a fancy black fountain pen wrapped in golden vines. Taking pen to paper, her hand started to move at blinding speeds as glowing green letters started to form on the parchment. When the first paper was finished, she tossed it to the nearest student and went on to the next. By the time she got through the stack in the next two minutes, everyone had their own quiz paper. Akko noticed that the paper was warm to the touch, like it had been freshly printed.

"You have thirty minutes – start – _now_!"

Akko looked down at her paper and read:

1\. _What was the Belle's original occupation?_  
2. _In what period did Belle find herself in following the accident?_  
3. _What was the name of the clan that Edgar hails from?_

On and on it went, over both sides of the paper, right down to:

54\. _What is Arthur's secret reason for his various attempts of courting Belle?_

Half an hour later, Annabel Crème collected the papers and rifled through them in front of the class.

"Hmm…just as I suspected – hardly any of you remember that Belle was a science teacher at the University of London. This is mentioned repeatedly over the course of the Night Fall series. And it astonishes me how very little people realize that the laboratory accident threw Belle back into the middle ages where she met Edgar on the River Thames. And I am absolutely stupefied how almost none of you managed to figure out the name of Edgar's clan – it's the title of the book itself. This is very, very poorly done and I will be counting it towards your grade."

Another wave of whines and complaints broke out in the classroom. Akko was now staring at Annabel Crème with an expression of disbelief on her face; Diana looked positively furious – she never got a bad grade, not once! Lotte, on the other hand, was listening to Annabel Crème with rapt attention and gave a start when she mentioned her name.

"…but Miss Jansson seemed to be the only one who understood that the reason Arthur was attempting to court Belle was to gain Edgar's attention. In fact, she appears to be the only one to get all the answers correct. This is very good. In fact" – she flipped her paper over – "full marks. Where is Miss Lotte Jansson.

Lotte raised a trembling hand. Annabel seemed surprised that the same girl who was blathering endless at the greenhouses was now her top student.

"I guess that should have been obvious," said Annabel Crème. "All right, ten points to Polaris. And now – to business – "

She picked up the book and stood it up right for all to see. It was a musty tome full of tears, watermarks and what looked eerily like blood on the corner. The title of the book was written in a foreign language in bold, black lettering.

"The Book of Plagues," said Annabel Crème. "Abrahamic Religions tell the tale of how their God brought upon ten calamities to the nation of Egypt to persuade the pharaoh to release his slave. This is far from the actual truth. What really happened was that the Pharaoh was a mage who had hired hundreds of workers to build a monument that would amplified the strength of the Ley Line running underneath their kingdom, making magical spending stronger. But the leader of the workers, Moses, didn't think they were getting paid enough. So when the Pharaoh refused to increase their wages, he snuck into the Pharaoh's library and stole the Book of Plagues. After suffering from ten consecutive plagues, the pharaoh finally gave in and increased their payment so that they would finish building."

"Wait, then why does Abrahamic Religion refer to the Pharaoh as an oppressor?" asked Diana curiously.

"The church that wrote the book didn't want people to think that Demi-humans were nice or reasonable," answered Annabel Crème. "You can get more answers from Professor Lenz. Back to the topic at hand, books can hold immense magical power. When a witch or mages writes a spellbook, they leave an impression of their magic inside the pages. As you are well aware, independent magical items can be used by anyone if they know how to use it. That is how Moses, a human, was able to summon ten plagues."

"So you're saying that just by holding that book, anyone can like – I don't know – create the black plague?" said Barbara disbelievingly.

"How do you think it occurred in the first place?" said Annabel Crème casually. "It wasn't caused by rats on merchant ships like most people think it did."

"I want that book," said Sucy, staring at the tome desirably; Akko didn't want to think what she could do with it.

"I call bull," said Hannah. "There's no way some dingy old book could do all that."

"If that is how you feel," said Annabel Crème, tilting her head slowly with a piercing stare, "then why don't we take a look inside? Let's started from one of my favorite passages – chapter 14: Bats."

She cracked open the book, facing the pages towards the students.

It was pandemonium. Real live vampire bats came fluttering out of the book's spine, shooting in every direction like rockets. Three of them smacked into Barbara and started biting chunks out of her hair; two more seized Hannah by the ears and lifted her into the air. Several shot straight through the window, showering the back row with broken glass. The rest proceeded to wreck the classroom more effectively than a rampaging rhino. They knocked over the desks, shredded books and papers, tore pictures from the walls, up-ended the trash can, grabbed bags and books and threw them out the smashed window; within minutes, half the class was sheltering under desks and Hannah was hanging by an exposed nail on the wall.

Other than Annabel Crème, the only one who remained calm in the situation was Sucy, whom the bats had seemed to be drawn to and were nuzzling her like cats.

"Aw, are you a little cutey," Sucy cooed, scratching a bat under his chin. "Yes, you are. Yes, you are."

Diana bravely stood up to fight back against the flying menace. Unfortunately, one of the bats seized her wand and threw it out the window, too. Diana gulped and dived under the desk with Barbara, who was now sporting several bald spots, narrowly avoiding being squashed by Hannah, who fell a second later as the nail gave way.

After many terrifying minutes, the bell finally rang and Annabel Crème snapped the book shut. The cloud of bats instantly dissolved away into puffs of black smoke. Everyone shakily pulled themselves over the edge of their desks as Annabel Crème calmly collected her papers, stuffed the Book of Plagues in her carrier bag, and swept past them saying: "Class dismissed."

"She really released a plague of bats on the class?" said Amanda flabbergasted when they met up outside the Magic Astronomy classroom later. "Aw man, now I wish I had signed up for that class."

"You wanna take my spot," said Akko tiredly. "I can't _believe_ she would actually do that."

"She was trying to prove a point," said Lotte. "Hannah and Barbara were being very rude when she was trying to teach a class."

"Well, she could have just given them detention instead of making us have to get rabies shots," Akko complained. "Right, Sucy."

"I miss that little guy," said Sucy sadly, thinking of her now-vanished bat friend.

Akko face-palmed.

* * *

 **Just a word of warning, this book does deal with a lot of history and religion topics, so if you are uncomfortable with it, please feel free to stop reading. On another topic, we get a glimpse at Annabelle Crème's…unique style of teaching. Unlike in the source material, Annabelle is actually quite competent with her subject and apparently has a very short fuse (Hah, short)…And that's about all I have to say here.**

 **Next Chapter: A Whisper in the Night**


	7. A Whisper in the Night

**Akko Kagari and the Evil Within**

 **Chapter Seven: A Whisper in the Night**

Things did not improve the next few days after Annabel Crème's memorable first lesson, who she had dutifully avoided whenever Akko saw her walking down the hallway. Akko's other classes were proving to be even more disastrous, surpassing herself on Friday morning, when she was practicing a simple chameleon spell and instead ended up throwing her wand squarely between Professor Akane's eyes, creating a large, throbbing green boil where it had struck. So with one thing and another, Akko was quite glad to reach the weekend. She and her friends were planning to visit Ursula on Saturday morning. Akko, however, was shaken awake several hours earlier than she would have liked by Amelia O'Neill.

"Whassamatter?" said Akko groggily.

"Chariot Race practice!" said Amelia. "Come on!"

Akko squinted at the window. There was a thin mist hanging across the pink-and-gold sky. Now that she was awake, she couldn't understand how she could have slept through the racket the birds were making.

"Amelia," Akko croaked. "It's the crack of dawn."

"Exactly," said Amelia. "It's part of our new training program. Come on, I asked Elma to drop off the Shooting Star on the field this morning, let's go. None of the other teams have started training yet; we're going to be the first off the mark this year – "

Yawning and shivering slightly, Akko climbed out of bed and tried to find her racing uniform.

"Good girl," said Amelia. "Meet you on the field in fifteen minutes."

When she'd found her apple-red team uniform emblazoned with the golden "5" and pulled on her cloak for warmth, Akko scribbled a note to Lotte explaining where she'd gone and went down the spiral staircase to the common room. She exited through the hidden archway and stepped tiredly down the corridor when she heard a quick shuffle coming from the hallway corner on her right. Curious, Akko bent forward and barely caught a glance of the pale-skinned girl trying to make herself smaller behind a statue.

"Evie? What are you doing up here?" asked Akko.

"I – I was hoping to see you again," Evie stuttered, slowly stepping out into the open and twiddling her fingers. "You got in trouble because of me. I just wanted to apologize."

"It's not your fault," said Akko, waving her off. "Hannah and Barbara are just jerks. Professor Ursula just let me off with a warning, so it's fine."

"O-oh, that's good," said Evie with a soft smile. She looked Akko up and down, noticing her sleek racing uniform. "You're dressed differently. Are students allowed to wear other clothes on weekends…or are you one of those cost players."

"They're called cosplayers, and no, I'm not," said Akko humorously. "This is my Chariot Racing uniform. I'm going to practice."

"I hear my roommates talk about Chariot Racing a lot," said Evie. "Is it something famous?"

"It's only the best sport in the whole wide world!" Akko said exuberantly. "I'm the anchor for the Polaris house team – the youngest player in a hundred years, I might add. I'm kind of a big deal around here. It's like this huge race where you fly around on broomsticks dodging through changing obstacle courses and avoiding the other players. Have you ever flown a broom before, Evie?"

"Considering I didn't know I was a Demi-Human until a couple of months ago, no," said Evie.

"Well, how would you like to take a ride on the best broom in the whole world," said Akko cheerfully. "I'm sure I can convince Shooting Star to let you on."

"That would be wonderful, Miss Akko," said Evie.

Without warning, Akko suddenly stiffened straight. Evie tilted her head in confusion as Akko slowly turned on her, looking embarrassed while she played with her fingers.

"Hey, Evie," said Akko slowly. "Do you think you couple call me…Akko-senpai?"

"Um, sure thing…Akko-senpai?" said Evie hesitantly.

Akko resisted the urge to squeal. Having a junior calling her senpai felt so heavenly; it was definitely her Japanese blood. Akko trotted down the stairs with Evie, practically bouncing with a new spring in her step.

"My roommates talk about Chariot Races a lot, but I have a hard time understanding it," said Evie breathlessly. "From what I can gather, all five Houses play at the same time, though the professional leagues play with ten. Each team has five players and they each take turns flying around the track. Is it true that the course changes between each lap?"

"Yep," said Akko cheerfully. "There are over a hundred different courses to choose from and they're all chosen at random so that no one has an advantage over the others. Have you been to track and field. It's basically the same thing. The players pass a ring – that's the baton of the game – to the next person in line. But the trick is not to be the first one to cross the finish line, but to be the team with the most points."

"Points?" Evie asked, nearly tripping down a couple steps because she was gazing open-mouthed at Akko. Thankfully, Akko threw out her hand to catch her.

"Whoa, watch it there," said Akko warningly. "But yeah, the game runs on a point system. You get a hundred points if you pass the ring to the next player, but lose a hundred if you drop the ring. There are also a bunch of rules where you can gain or lose points, but I'm probably not the best person to explain them because – well, I'm still learning about the game myself. Oh, and the last person in the race is called the anchor – "

"That's your position, right?" asked Evie.

"Yeah," answered Akko. "The anchor is one of the most important positions in the game because the first one to cross the finish line earns their team a full three hundred points, so that gives their team a huge advantage, but it doesn't mean they always win. Remember what I said about the points. The winner isn't always the fastest, but the one who plays the game the smartest."

"Wow, you're so amazing, Akko-senpai," said Evie in awe.

Akko couldn't stop grinning the whole way down the sloping lawns to the racing track. They separated when Akko reached the changing rooms; Evie called out to her in a small, barely audible voice, "I'll go and get a good seat, Akko-senpai!" and shuffled off to the stands.

Akko had barely opened the door a crack when she was suddenly assault by what looked like a speeding red bullet, knocking her flat on her back in the grass. With a wince and a groan, Akko pushed herself up by her elbows and looked up at her attacker. The gleaming red body, the wide arrowhead, and the bristles that stretched out like the wings of an angel. The Shooting Star hovered over Akko for a moment before nuzzling up to her like an affectionate puppy; Akko laughed at the antics.

"Okay, okay, I missed you, too, buddy," said Akko brightly, pulling herself up to her feet. "It's been a long time since we've had a chance to fly. You ready to get back into the air."

The Shooting star nodded its arrowhead eagerly.

"Great," said Akko. "But first, we have to sit through Amelia's pre-practice strategy meeting."

Akko and Shooting Star hanged their heads, begrudgingly walking up to the door and stepping inside.

The rest of the Polaris Team were already in the changing room. Amelia was the only person who looked truly awake. Fourth year Avery Buckland was sitting, puffy-eyed and tousle-haired to the third year Rajani Kaya, who seemed to be nodding off against the wall behind her. Her twin sister Rashmi was yawning opposite them and struggling very hard to keep her eyes open.

"There you are, Akko, what kept you?" said Amelia briskly. "Now, I wanted a quick talk with you all before we actually get onto the field, because I spent the summer devising a whole new training program, which I really think will make all the difference…."

Amelia was holding up a large diagram of a racing track, on which were drawn many lines, arrows, and crosses in different-colored inks. She took out her wand, tapped the board, and the arrows began to wiggle over the diagram like caterpillars. As Amelia launched into a speech about her new tactics, Avery's head dropped right onto Rajani's shoulder and she began to snore.

The first board took nearly twenty minutes to explain, but there was another board under that, and a third under that one. Akko sank into a stupor as Amelia droned on and on.

"So," said Amelia, at long last, jerking Akko from a wistful fantasy about what she could be eating for breakfast at this very moment up at the castle. "Is that clear? Any questions?"

"I've got a question," said Rajani, who had woken with a start. "Why couldn't you have told us all this yesterday when we were awake?"

Amelia wasn't pleased.

"Now, listen here, you slackers," she said, glowering at them all. "We should have won the Chariot Race cup last year. We're easily the best team. But unfortunately – owing to circumstance beyond our control – "

Akko shifted guiltily in her seat. She had been unconscious in the hospital wing for the final match of the previous year, meaning that Polaris had been a player short and suffered their worst defeat since Chariot Du Nord had graduated.

Amelia took a moment to regain control of herself. Their last defeat was clearly still torturing her.

"So this year, we train harder than ever before…. Okay, let's go and put our new theories into practice!" Amelia shouted, seizing her broomstick and leading the way out of the locker rooms. Stiff-legged and still yawning, her team followed.

They had been in the locker room so long that the sun was up completely now, although remnants of mist hung over the grass in the stadium. As Akko walked onto the field, she saw Lotte and the others sitting in the stands.

"Aren't you finished yet?" called Lotte incredulously.

"Haven't even started," said Akko, looking jealously at the toast and jam they had brought out of the dining hall. "Amelia's been teaching us new moves."

"And she wonders why everyone thinks she's the screwball of the family," said Amanda.

Akko mounted the Shooting Star and kicked at the ground, soaring up into the air. The cool morning air whipped her face, waking her far more effectively than Amelia's long talk. It felt wonderful to be able to fly again. She soared right around the stadium at full speed, racing Rajani and Rashmi.

"Hey, who's that pasty girl sitting in the stands?" called Rashmi as they hurtled around the corner.

Akko looked around. Evie was sitting in one of the highest seats, taking shelter under the shade of the canopy; she did seem like the type of person who would burn easily when exposed to sunlight. When she saw Akko flying overhead, she waved almost lethargically.

"Akko, do you know her?" asked Rajani.

"She a first year," said Akko. "I kinda promised I could give her a ride after practice."

"You do realize that Amelia's gonna chew you out for letting someone from another house watch our practice, right?" said Rashmi.

"What's going on?" said Amelia, frowning as she skimmed through the air toward them. "Why is there a first year from Eclipse watching us?"

"That's Akko's fault; she invited her," said Rashmi quickly.

"Thanks, teammate," said Akko sarcastically.

"What were you thinking?" Amelia scolded her. "She could be an Eclipse spy, trying to find out about our new training program."

"She's a good kid," Akko defended. "She's not gonna spy on us."

"Besides, the Eclipse aren't the ones we should be worry about," said Avery, flying over to join the rest.

"What makes you say that?" said Amelia testily.

"Because the Lunar team decided to spy in person," said Avery, pointing.

Several people in light-blue uniforms were walking onto the field, broomsticks in their hands.

"I don't believe it!" Amelia hissed in outrage. "I booked the field for today! We'll see about this!"

Amelia shot toward the ground, landing rather harder than she meant to in her anger, staggering slightly as she dismounted. Akko, Avery, Rajani, and Rashmi followed.

"Farron!" Amelia bellowed at the Lunar captain. "This is our practice time! We got up specifically! You can clear off now!"

Claire "Lightning" Farron was taller than Amelia. She rarely showed any emotion beyond irritation as she replied, "There is plenty of room for all of us, O'Neill."

"But I booked the field!" said Amelia, positively spitting with rage. "I booked it!"

"While I conceded that to be true," said Lightning. "I've got a specially signed note here from Professor Finnelan. ' _I, Professor Anne Finnelan, give the Lunar team permission to practice today on the Chariot Race field owing to the need to train their new anchor._ "

"You're not the anchor anymore, Farron?" said Amelia, distracted. "Then who is?"

Lightning Farron stood to one side and a small girl with wavy blonde hair stepped through the gap, broomstick on her shoulder, looking not at the Polaris captain, but directly at Akko. It was Diana Cavendish. A wave of recognition washed over the team.

"Somehow, I'm not the least bit surprised," said Amelia.

Neither was Akko. Diana's skill on a broom was easily one of the best in Luna Nova, rivaled only by Amanda O'Neill. If it hadn't been for the ban on first years not being allowed to play for the house teams, Lunar would have wasted no time snatching Diana up. Akko ended up being the exception to the rule, having formed a bond with the rogue broom, Shooting Star, and being recognized as the one person to ride it within a hundred years.

"You've been anchor for the Lunar team for three years, Farron," said Amelia. "Are you sure you're all right with some newcomer just snatching away your position like that?"

"Unlike you, O'Neill, I don't let my vanity and pride get in the way of my better judgment," said Lightning coolly. "We held an audition for Diana and she proved to be the best person for the position. If it means crushing the Polaris team again this year, I will gladly forfeit my spot."

Amelia bit her lip and said nothing, lacking any clever quip or retort. Diana was ignoring the exchange between the captains and continued her piercing stare at Akko. Under normal circumstances, Akko would have felt embarrassed to have Diana's undivided attention, but there was something about her stare this time that seemed so…cold.

"Oh, look," said Lightning. "A field invasion."

Lotte, Sucy, Amanda, Jasminka, and Constanze were crossing the track to see what was going on.

"What's happening?" Amanda asked Akko. "Why aren't you playing? And what's _she_ doing here?"

She was looking at Diana, taking in her new Lunar Chariot Racing uniform.

"For your information, O'Neill, I am the Lunar House's new anchor," said Diana. "We were in the middle of discussing arrangements for the field when you came barging in."

"There is nothing to discuss!" roared Amelia in outrage. "I booked the field a week in advance! I had to get everyone up at the crack of dawn! This is our time!"

"Wait…you were here at the crack of dawn?" said Lightning incredulously. "That was at least an hour and a half ago and you still haven't started your practice? What have you been doing all this time?"

"Putting us to sleep with her long-winded plans," said Avery dryly.

"Oh, dear god," said Lightning, shaking her head in disappointe. "Well, there's your answer. The field is now officially ours. It's not our fault you wasted your time talking instead of getting any actually practice done."

"But I booked it!" yelled Amelia.

"And you wasted it!" snapped Lightning. "Don't go blaming us for your own negligence!"

After that, the argument between the team captains just devolved into a shouting match to see who was the loudest. Rajani and Rashmi had to grab Amelia by the arms to stop her from making a dive at Lightning. Avery was playing it smart and stayed out of the fight along with the majority of the Lunar team.

Akko rolled her eyes at her captain, honestly agreeing with Lightning that it was her own fault for wasting all their time, and her gaze fell on Diana. A small panic filled her heart when she saw that her blonde rival was doubled over leaning on her broomstick for support, a hand pressed against her stomach and eyes clamped shut like she was experiencing incredible amounts of pain.

"Diana!" Akko yelled.

The cry broke through Amelia and Lightning's arguing, drawing everyone's attention to Akko and then to Diana, who had dropped to her hands and knees and groaning through her gritted teeth. Everyone dropped what they were doing and gathered around Diana in concern; Lightning fell to her knees beside her.

"Diana! Diana! Are you all right?" yelled Lightning.

She reached out and cautiously touched Diana's shoulder. Faster than anyone could react, or anticipate for that matter, Diana suddenly snapped her head around and bit down on Lightning's hand between her thumb and forefinger.

Lightning immediately pulled away, falling flat on her back, holding her hand while the rest of the Lunar team was paralyzed with shock. Diana must have been biting down really hard because there was blood dripping through Lightning's glove, staining it with a nasty crimson color. Akko looked around to Diana, who seemed to have realized what she had done and looked horrified.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Diana apologized sincerely. "I didn't mean to. I just – I'm not feeling well. I didn't mean – "

"No, I get it," said Lightning, wincing as she peeled her glove away, exposing the bleeding bite marks. "But goddamn, you have some incredible jaw strength."

"I'm sorry…," Diana murmured sadly.

"It's nothing Porlyusica can't fix," said Lightning as she slipped the glove back on and pulled herself back up. "Come on, we can both go to the hospital wing. Just promise not to bite me again."

"I'm sorry…."

Lightning offered her hand this time, noticeably watching Diana's jawline, which Diana kindly accepted. Diana looked so weak; she had to lean on Lightning to support herself. Everyone just stood in stunned silence as they watched the pair exit the stadium.

"What happened, Akko-senpai?" Akko nearly jumped out of her skin; she had completely forgotten Evie was still watching. "Was that Miss Cavendish? Everyone is always talking about her in the dorms. Is she sick? Is she going to be okay?"

"Yeah, probably," Akko mumbled. "Porlyusica can heal almost anything. They'll be fine."

At least that's what Akko hoped.

After everything that had happened on the track, no one felt much like practicing anymore (though Amelia proved to be unreasonably stubborn on the matter). The whole thing weighed on Akko's mind as she, Lotte, and their friends traipsed back up to the castle. Hoping to take their mind off Diana, Jasminka suggested going to visit Ursula early. Akko was all for it. Ursula Callistis was always a good friend and mentor to Akko, though a little timid and a lot secretive, especially about Chariot and the Shiny Rod.

They climbed to the top floor of the Astronomy Tower where Ursula's room resided. They were within twenty feet of the Ursula's room when the door opened, but it wasn't Ursula who emerged. Annabel Crème came striding out, a pen and a notepad in each hand.

"Quick, behind here," Akko hissed, dragging the starstruck Lotte behind a tapestry into a hidden alcove. Everyone else crammed in after them.

"It's really a simple matter if you know what you're doing," Ursula said to Annabel Crème. "I could recommend you a couple of books that you could borrow from the library if you wanted to go into deeper detail. And if you have any more questions, please feel free to stop by. My door is always open."

"Thank you, Professor," said Annabel Crème politely. "You've been very helpful."

They heard Professor Ursula's door close and Annabel Crème's shoes clacking against the stone steps. Akko waited until Annabel Crème was at the bottom of the stairway, then came out from behind the tapestry and up to Ursula's door. They knocked.

Professor Ursula appeared at once, looking surprised at first, but her expression brightened when she saw who it was.

"I've been wondering when you were coming to see me – come in, come in – I thought you might have been Professor Crème coming back again – "

Akko and the others filed into the one-roomed house, which looked closer to an observatory than an actual living quarters. A large brass telescope took up most of the room, pointed out the circular window above, with a large golden gyroscope next to it. In one corner of the room was a tall brass perch where Ursula's aging familiar, Alcor the White Crow, stood with his head tucked under his wing, sleeping. And on the opposite end of the room next to the fireplace, Ursula summoned a table and chairs for everyone as she started boiling a pot of water.

"I don't have as wide of a selection as I did last time," said Ursula. "The teachers had to take some pay cuts after what happened last year with the trials for the Shiny Rod. I don't think any of us realized just how expensive it was to maintain them; I went through six months' pay just to get bear food for Arcas."

"Whatever happened to him, by the way?" asked Lotte curiously.

"Oh, I sent him back to live in the countryside where I grew up," said Ursula. "I like to visit him from time to time. Hmm, looks like the Darjeeling is still good."

"What did Professor Crème want with you, professor?" Akko asked as Ursula bustled around making them tea.

"She wanted some advice on studying celestial patterns and their effects on werewolves," said Ursula, setting the teapot down on the table. "I think it might have something to do with her next book. Though while we were talking, she didn't seem that particularly interested in what I was saying. She was just scribbling her notes the entire time."

"That's probably because she was very distracted," Lotte said in a voice somewhat higher than usual. "Annabel Crème probably has a lot on her mind, having to write a new book on top of teaching classes. I think we should be a little more grateful that Professor Crème took the time out of her busy schedule to teach us."

"Even if Professor Crème didn't want to teach classes in the first place," said Ursula, offering them a plate of tea cakes.

"What do you mean?" asked Jasminka curiously.

"Annabel Crème fought very hard against teaching Magical Literature," said Ursula, frowning as if remembering something unpleasant. "I think that was the first and last time I've ever seen Professor Crème so expressive. Her publisher, Elizabeth Lait, had literally dragged Professor Crème to Luna Nova to accept the job. I remember because the headmistress and Heads of Houses are required to interview all potential new teachers before they could be accepted. I remember there being a lot of kicking and screaming. Honestly, if it were me, I would never have given her the job. But Miss Lait was very insistent that Professor Crème should do it, and for some reason, Professor Holbrooke just gave it to her. Professor Crème has been in a noticeably foul mood ever since."

"And I just thought she was always like that," said Sucy, casually sipping her tea.

"But why did her publisher make her get the job if she didn't want it?" asked Jasminka curiously. "And why did Professor Holbrooke give it to her?"

"Professor Holbrooke knows more than I do," said Ursula, shaking her head. "But enough about that. How about you guys? Did anything interesting happen yet? Find any more secret conspiracies?"

"Not really a conspiracy, but something weird did happen," said Amanda. "Diana's the new anchor for the Lunar House and they were having an argument with the Polaris team about who gets the track for practice. Then Diana suddenly got sick and bit the Lunar team captain."

"Oh my!" gasped Ursula, hand flying over her mouth in shock. "That doesn't sound like Diana."

Constanze brought up her Stan-Bot and morphed it into a wide video screen with which she showed a recording of what happened down on the field. Ursula jumped with a mixture of fright and shock when Diana bit down on Lightning's hand, causing it to bleed out.

"That seems so out of character for Diana," said Ursula in a concerned tone. "Even if she was sick, she'd never do something like that."

"She looked like she was hurting a lot," Lotte noted. "Maybe she was in too much pain to really think straight."

"I know that's happened to me before," said Jasminka. "Sometimes when you're in a lot of pain, you lose all sense of yourself. I'm sure that Diana didn't mean anything by it."

"Well, I hope whatever it is, she gets better," said Akko, staring apprehensively at the Stan-Bot screen. "I don't like Diana when she's like that."

The mood became noticeably subdued; Diana's strange actions weighed heavily on everyone's mind, especially Akko.

They didn't dwell on it for long when Ursula's door suddenly swung open, slamming the wall with enough force to throw it back and smack into the face of whoever was at the threshold. Everyone stared at the door; the person on the other side calmly turned the knob and stepped inside. It was Professor Croix, nursing her nose where the door whacked her; she was carrying a pumpkin under her arm.

"Croix, how many times must I tell you not to kick my door," said Ursula, puffing her cheeks and leering at her old friend.

"Sorry, sorry, but I wanted to show you my latest work," Croix apologized. She held out the pumpkin with a flourish and said, "Ta-da!"

"…It's a pumpkin," said Sucy, unimpressed.

"Yes, it is a pumpkin," said Croix proudly, whipping out a bottle of glowing green liquid. "But with one drop of my Ultra-Croix Growth Juice (Patent Pending), this tiny little pumpkin will…."

Croix walked to the other end of the room near Ursula's bed and set the pumpkin down on the floor. Using a tiny dropper, she squeezed a single bead of the green liquid and quickly dashed back over to join the others. The effects of Croix's potion were instantaneous as the pumpkin suddenly swelled like a balloon, knocking over one of Ursula's bookshelves and scrapping her bed against the wall; Ursula squeaked and sputtered frantically. When the pumpkin finally stopped growing, it was roughly the size of a large boulder.

"Hah! Whaddya think of that?" Croix boasted. "These babies will be the highlight of the Halloween feast. And to think, Professor Holbrooke wanted Hex in charge of decorations. He would have gone all Louisiana voodoo like last time."

"That is quite impressive, Croix," said Ursula. "But how do you intend to get it out of my room?"

Everyone looked at the lavender-haired teacher expectantly, who paused for a moment before whipping out her smart phone and saying, "Note to self: invent shrinking chemical."

Ursula groaned at Croix, but hanged her head in defeat, knowing there was nothing she could do about it now. She started pouring another round of tea for everyone; Croix naturally decided to invite herself as a reward for her hard work.

As she sipped her tea, Akko glanced at Croix and realized this was the first time she had ever been in the same place as her outside of the classroom, not counting her disastrous journey into Silent Hill. She had spent most of last year thinking that Croix was a villain trying to steal the Shiny Rod for Aradia, only to learn that she had been protecting Akko the whole time. Akko was reminded of the picture Ursula had given to her as a gift last year, the one of Chariot Du Nord and her friends, including Croix.

"Excuse me, Professor Croix," said Akko suddenly. "You were friends with my mom, right? Chariot Du Nord?"

Croix, who had been sipping her tea, sputtered and choked; Ursula quickly patted her back to sooth her. When she caught her breath, Croix stared at Akko with a mixture of surprise and…something that looked like worry.

"I – I didn't realize that you were aware that Chariot was your mother," said Croix. "Caught me a little off-guard."

"Akko managed to piece it together on her own last year," Ursula told her in a calming voice. "Just that."

"Oh, well, smart girl then," said Croix, taking a moment to collect herself. "Um, ahem, yes, I was friends with Chariot in school and afterwards. Why do you ask?"

"Could you tell me what she was like?" asked Akko hopefully.

"What was Chariot Du Nord like, huh?" said Croix, looking very amused as she sipped her tea, glancing in Ursula's direction. "I think that better question would be: what was Chariot NOT like? The answer: a good student. She was clumsy, careless, impulsive, always jumping in without thinking, liked to drag other people into her own messes, and the teachers took plenty of vacation time just to get away from her."

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, huh?" Sucy smirked in Akko's direction.

"But…," said Croix with a whimsical smile, "she was also very passionate about her magic. She was kind to everyone who met her and dedicated to pursuing her dream of creating a magic that would make people happy. She may not have been the best student, but she always worked hard and never took any shortcuts. Everything she did was with her own power. Her grades got better, she was an amazing Anchor, and the next thing you know, she graduating from Luna Nova at the top of her class. That just goes to show how far dedication and hard work can take you."

Constanze made a series of hands signed which Amanda translated: "I thought you would have graduated top of the class, Professor. You're so much smarter than most Demi-Humans."

"Yeah, I probably would have," said Croix, "if I hadn't been expelled in sixth year."

"You were expelled?" Lotte said, surprised. "But why?"

"All right, I think we're done for the day," Ursula interrupted pointedly. "It'll be lunchtime soon and you should all start heading down to the dining hall before then."

"But we – "

"Professor Ursula is right," Croix nodded. "You should get moving before you get into any more trouble. I don't want to lose another Sorcerer Unit because your mom is pissed at you again."

The both of them were purposely avoiding the topic, which only made Akko more curious about what happened that got Croix expelled in her sixth year. But any attempt at dragging the subject up was met with extreme resistance from both teachers and before long, they forcibly kicked Akko and the others out of the tower, slamming the door shut behind them. Now Akko REALLY wanted to know.

As Ursula predicted, it was nearly lunchtime and as Akko had only had a bit of teacakes since dawn, she was keen to head back downstairs to eat. Unfortunately, they had barely set foot in the cool entrance hall when a voice rang out, "There you are, Kagari – O'Neill." Professor Finnelan was walking toward them, looking stern. "You will both do your detentions this evening."

"What're we doing, Professor?" asked Akko nervously.

"O'Neill will be polishing the silver in the trophy room with Elma," said Professor Finnelan. "And no magic, O'Neill – elbow grease."

Amanda gulped. Elma the caretaker was a fierce dragon equal to Tohru in terms of power, but was a hundred times stricter about the rules and was feared by every student in the school.

"And you, Kagari, will be helping Professor Crème with editing her novel," said Professor Finnelan.

"Oh n – Professor, can't I go and do the trophy room, too?" said Akko desperately.

"Certainly not," said Professor Finnelan, raising her eyebrows. "Professor Ursula was very specific about your punishment, Kagari. Eight o'clock sharp, both of you."

Akko and Amanda slouched into the Great Hall in states of deepest gloom, Lotte standing behind her best friend with an envious look on her face. Akko didn't enjoy her hamburger steak as much as she'd thought. Both she and Amanda felt they'd got the worse deal.

"Elma will have me there all night," said Amanda heavily. "No magic! There must be about a hundred cups in that room. I'm better at stealing trophies than cleaning them."

"I'd swap anytime," said Akko hollowly. "Mom makes me do chores without magic all the time. Editing Annabel Crème's book…she'll eat me alive…."

"So lucky…," Lotte moaned jealously.

Saturday afternoon seemed to melt away, and in what seemed like no time, it was five minutes to eight, and Akko was dragging her feet along the second-floor corridor to Annabel Crème's office. She gritted her teeth and knocked.

After a whole two minutes of waiting, Annabel Crème opened the door, staring at her with those dead fish eyes that reminded Akko of Miss Kobayashi.

"It's about time you showed up," said Annabel Crème monotonously. "Get in here and don't touch anything – "

Annabel Crème's office was a small, circular space lined entirely with bookshelves covering every inch of the wall and obscuring the high windows. Thousands of novels rested on the shelves, neatly arranged in alphabetical and numeral order. There was an entire bookshelf on the right dedicated to the entire Night Fall series. And in the middle of the room was a large, polished oak desk upon which were a stack of papers. Annabel Crème took a seat in her large leather chair while directing Akko to a tiny stool on the opposite side.

"You will be my editor tonight," Annabel Crème told Akko, as though she was just as displeased with this arrangement as Akko was. "All you have to do is correct any spelling mistakes and grammatical errors you see. That's something even you can't screw up – hopefully – "

The minutes snailed by. Akko and Annabel sat in complete silence, the scratching of their pens being the only thing to break the quiet. Every now and again, Annabel Crème would say things like "Mmm" and "Right" and "Yeah." Now and again she would mumble to herself, "No, that's not something Belle would do," or "How would Edgar fit into this?"

The candle on the desk burned lower and lower, making the light dance over Annabel Crème's face, making her look something like a blonde version of Kayako Saeki (that movie still gives her nightmares). Akko moved her aching hand over what felt like the thousandth page, correcting the apostrophe and capitalizing the character's name. _It's gotta be time to leave soon,_ Akko thought miserably, _please let me leave soon…._

And then she heard something – something quite apart from the spitting of the dying candle and Annabel Crème's mumbling.

It was a voice, a faint voice that sounded like it was screaming just out of earshot, coming only in pieces; a voice that of cold, whimpering desperation.

" **…** _ **me…sa…I can't…some…Please…her….ko…A…o…Ak…o….AKKO!** "_

Akko gave a huge jump and a large black blot appeared on Arthur's name.

" _What?_ " she said loudly.

"What?" shouted Annabel Crème, startled out of her stupor. "What happened?"

"Did you hear that voice?" said Akko frantically.

"I'm sorry?" said Annabel Crème, looking puzzled. "What voice?"

"That – that voice was calling out – didn't you hear it?"

Annabel Crème was looking at Akko in high astonishment.

"What _are_ you talking about, Kagari? There's no one here but us. Perhaps you are just getting a little tired, which is unsurprising considering we've been doing this for nearly four hours. I sometimes lose track when I'm engrossed in my work. I suppose that enough for tonight."

Akko didn't say anything in return. She was straining her ears to hear the voice again, but there was no sound now except for Annabel Crème telling her to collect all her things and head on back to her dorm. Feeling dazed, Akko left.

It was so late that the Polaris common room was almost empty. Akko went straight up to the dormitory. Lotte, Sucy, Constanze and Jasminka were already sound asleep; Amanda still hadn't come back yet. Blair the cat was waiting on the end of Akko's bed, her tail bouncing behind her patiently.

"So how was detention with Annabel Crème?" She said teasingly. "Did she make you write lines? Or do an essay? Or maybe she wouldn't let you leave until you wrote a whole novel. If it's the last one, you have to let me read it. I still remember the story of the sugar princess you made up in kindergarten."

Keeping her voice low so as not to wake the others, Akko told Blair exactly what she had heard. Blair's expression immediately turned serious as she narrowed her eyes on Akko suspiciously.

"And Annabel Crème said she couldn't hear it?" said Blair. Akko could see her frowning in the moonlight. "Hmm, I don't think that she was lying, but I don't think you were either. There are accounts of people hearing voices from nowhere, but they are usually in the case of invisible spirits. But Luna Nova is guarded from spirits by multiple layers of protection spells. And it couldn't have been someone invisible or else you would have both seen the door open."

"I know," said Akko, lying back in her four-poster and staring at the canopy above her. "I don't get it either."

* * *

 **Next chapter: The Dragon King Festival**


	8. The Dragon King Festival

**Akko Kagari and the Evil Within**

 **Chapter Eight: The Dragon King Festival**

October arrived, spreading a damp chill over the grounds and into the castle. Porlyusica, the school nurse, was kept busy by a sudden spate of colds among the staff and students. Her Hotblooded Solution worked instantly, though it set the drinker's hair on fire for several hours afterward. Diana, who had been looking pale since the incident on the Racing track, was bullied into taking some by Hannah. Everyone sat very far away from her in class, fearing they would be burned by the cascade of flames that floated over her shoulders.

Raindrops the size of bullets thundered on the castle windows for days on end; the nearby lake overflowed, the flower beds turned into muddy streams, and Croix's chemically-enhanced pumpkins turned into a safe haven for anyone unfortunate enough to wonder outside. Amelia O'Neill's enthusiasm for regular training sessions, however, was not dampened, which was why Akko was to be found late one stormy Saturday afternoon a few days before Halloween returning to Polaris Tower, drenched to the skin and splattered with mud.

Even aside from the rain and wind it hadn't been a happy practice session, Avery Buckland, who had been spying on the Lunar team, had seen for herself the speed of their newest anchor. Akko always knew Diana was skilled with a broom, but Avery reported her as nothing more than a blue blur, shooting through the air like a missile.

As Akko squelched along the deserted corridor she came across somebody who looked just as preoccupied as she was. Blair the Witch Cat was in her human form for the first time in a while, staring morosely out of a window with a cell phone pressed against her ear, muttering under her breath, "…That's what she told me…aren't you being a little too paranoid…"

Blair turned her head and caught sight of Akko, turning and muttering a goodbye to whoever was on the other side, and quickly ended the call.

"Hey, Akko-nyan," said Blair, waving her down cheerfully.

"Hey, Blair," said Akko cautiously. "Who was that on the phone?"

"Don't go getting all suspicious now," said Blair, putting her fists on her hips. "That was just Athena – Diana's mother. She heard that Diana's been getting sick recently and Ursula told her about the biting thing that happened the other day. Athena has always been a worrywart, especially about Diana. She was just calling to ask if I was making sure Diana was being taken care of…. That was the sixth call this week…."

"It's nice that she's so worried about Diana," said Akko optimistically.

"A little overbearing if you ask me," said Blair. "But never mind that, what about you? You look like literal crap."

"That's probably the best compliment I've heard all day," said Akko mournfully.

"Anything I can help with?" Blair offered.

"No," said Akko. "Not unless you know a trick to make me fly faster than the speed of light before my next Chariot Ra – "

The rest of Akko's sentence was drowned out by a rumbling roar that echoed down the empty corridor, rattling the lamp fixtures and shaking the windows. Anyone who had been on the opposite end of that roar knew that Elma the Dragon only made that sound when she was past her boiling point and anyone would be smart enough to run in the opposite direction.

"You'd better get out of here, Akko-Nyan," said Blair quickly. "Elma isn't in the best mood – she's got the flu and some third year accidentally plastered frog brains all over the ceiling in Laboratory B. She's been cleaning all morning, and if she sees you dripping mud all over the place – "

"Right," said Akko, backing away and preparing to break out into a run, but not quickly enough. Drawn to the spot by the mysterious power that seemed to bring her attention to any possible troublemakers, Elma burst suddenly through a tapestry to Akko's right, sniffling and swinging her crooked trident wildly about for the rule-breaker. There was a thick scarf bound around her head, and her nose was unusually purple.

"Filth!" she shouted, her jowls aquiver, her eyes popping alarmingly as she jabbed at the muddy puddle that had dripped from Akko's Racing uniform. "Mess and muck everywhere! I've had enough of it, I tell you! I knew anyone associated with Tohru was trouble! Follow me, Kagari!"

So Akko waved a gloomy good-bye to Blair and followed Elma back downstairs, doubling the number of muddy footprints on the floor.

Akko had been in Elma's office a number of times before; most of the time it was to collect Shooting Star, whom Elma had possession over when Akko wasn't using it. The room was small and windowless, but so unnaturally tidy that the floors and ceiling actually sparkled, lit by an elaborate iron chandelier carved with dragon heads. The metal filing cabinets stood around the walls; from their labels, Akko could see that they contained details on every pupil Elma had ever punished. Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka had an entire drawer to themselves. Her solid oak desk had an intricate craving of clashing dragons etched into the wood; rumor had it that the dragons were supposed to represent Elma and Tohru.

Elma replaced her trident on the wall and pulled out the seat at her desk as she started shuffling around looking for paper.

"Crap," she muttered furiously, "great sizzling bag of dragon bogies…devil spawn…Tohru lovers…I've had enough of it…make an _example_ …where's the form…yes…"

She retrieved the pink slip of paper from her desk drawer and slapped it forcefully in front of her, making Akko jump as she retrieved her pen.

" _Name_ …Atsuko Rukia Kagari. _Crime…_ "

"It was only a little mud!" said Akko.

"It's only a little mud to you, Kagari, but to me it's an extra hour of scrubbing!" shouted Elma, a drip shivering unpleasantly at the end of her nose. " _Crime…_ befouling the castle… _suggested sentence…_ "

Dabbing at her streaming nose, Elma squinted unpleasantly at Akko who waited with bated breath for her sentence to fall.

But as Elma lowered her pen to paper, there was a great **BANG** on the ceiling of the office, which made the iron chandelier rattle.

"Oh, for goddess's sake, what now?" Elma roared, flinging down her pen in a spot of rage. "You stay right where you are, Kagari! I'll be back to deal with you!"

Taking her trident off the wall, Elma ran flatfooted from the office without a backward glance at Akko.

Akko had a strong suspicion that whatever caused the crash was none other than the transdimensional imp, Mr. Mxyzptlk. He was the only being in this castle that would dare to risk Elma's wrath. Akko didn't much like the imp, but couldn't help feeling grateful for his timing. Hopefully, whatever Mxyz did (and it sounded as though he'd wrecked something very big this time) would distract Elma from Akko.

Thinking it was better to obey Elma's orders than risk getting into any more trouble, Akko sank into a small wooden chair next to the desk. There was only one thing on it apart from her half-completed form: a large, yellow-papered envelope marked with a broken wax seal from a coat of arms that Akko couldn't make out. With a quick glance at the door to check that Elma wasn't on her way back, Akko picked up the envelope and flipped around to read the address

 _ **The Empress of Order  
The House of Harmony  
Lautreamont Knight Kingdom**_

Akko heard of the Lautreamont Knight Kingdom; they were a nation that still lived in a period of knight and swords, but they had the advantage of sharing the community with dragons. While the humans had their own form of government, the dragons also had political status and even royalty. Akko knew this because they had accidentally kidnapped their princess last year.

Intrigued, Akko flicked the envelope open and pulled out the sheaf of paper inside. Whoever wrote this had very loopy handwriting; Akko barely understood the basics of the English alphabet, so cursive was a nightmare for her to translate:

 **My Dear Elma,**

 **I was honestly surprised to be receiving a letter from you again given how things had ended between us last time, but  
I am simply relieved that you are alive and healthy. Are you happy there? You're not still picking fights with the Emperor  
of Demise's daughter, are you? I swear, you two are so similar that it's a wonder how you never became friends.**

 **But in regards to your last letter, I am sad to inform you that we will not be attending the Dragon King Festival this year.  
I understand that it is a momentous honor to be nominated as host for this historic occasion, but you know how stubborn  
your father is. He still hasn't forgiven you for breaking out clan's most sacred law. While I agree with you that it is a  
ridiculous law, the Emperor of Order is a stickler for tradition and is firm on his stance concerning your banishment.**

 **If it were up to me, I would gladly welcome you back, but it is out of my hands. I hope one day your bullhead father will  
realize what a childish fool he is being. But until that day comes (and believe me, I will make sure it does), all I can do now  
is wish you my best. You have always been a strong woman, Elma. I know you'll do fine.**

 **With much love,  
your mother, the Empress of Order.**

Akko stared at the letter with avid fascination. Elma's parents are an emperor and empress? Did that mean that Elma is – or was, judging by the context – a princess. Akko had a hard time imaging the keeper of the castle dressing up in fancy gowns and attending balls. She was rereading the letter over to see if she missed anything when shuffling footsteps outside told her Elma was coming back. Stuffing the letter back into the envelope, Akko threw it back onto the desk just as the door opened.

Elma was looking triumphant.

"That was Professor Croix's new Chronal Accelerator prototype– she's been working on that for over a year!" she was saying gleefully to herself. "I'll have Mxyzptlk out this time, I swear – "

Her eyes fell on Akko and then darted to the letter, which, Akko realized too late, was lying two feet away from where it started.

Elma said nothing; her face was devoid of any expression. Akko braced herself for a tidal wave of fury. Elma slowly walked around her desk, snatched up the envelope, and threw it into the drawer. Akko was still waiting for Elma to explode, but she said nothing; the two of them just sat there in uncomfortable silence; Akko didn't know if she should stay or run.

"…How much did you read?" Elma breathed after what seemed like forever.

"Um…all of it," Akko answered hesitantly. There was no point in lying at this point; it would only get her in more trouble.

And then the strangest and most unexpected thing that Akko had ever seen in her life occurred right in front of her: Elma buried her face in her hands and broke down, crying. Akko flinched backwards from the shock. She had never seen someone as tough as Elma cry before; she was the type that could stare down Arcas and not even blink. Not knowing what to do, Akko slowly reached out and patted Elma's arm very awkwardly.

"Um…there, there?" said Akko.

"I know I shouldn't be surprised," said Elma, her voice muffled by her hands and accompanied with loud sniffles. "My father is always stubborn about his traditions… but I thought he would make an exception at least once for this. To at least congratulate me for this huge honor."

"Did…did something happen between you and your dad?" asked Akko, trying to sound sympathetic.

"Well…it's really stupid," Elma sniffled, taking her hands away and wiping her nose with her sleeve. "If you read the letter completely, you know I'm from the House of Harmony – it's one of the oldest Imperial Dragon Houses next to the House of Chaos and the Avalon's Imperial Family. The House of Harmony believes in preserving order and balance, and whoever founded the house made up the rule that the best way to do it is for everyone to remain impartial."

"Impartial?" asked Akko, tilting her head confused.

"It basically means we have to sit on our asses doing nothing while the rest of the world is forced to take care of itself," said Elma, a hint of disdain mingled in her voice. "My family has been doing it for generations. Whenever there is a war or a plague, my family just sat back and watched. I always hated that rule. Our family has some of the most powerful healers in the word and they wouldn't lift a finger to help."

"But you didn't do that, did you?" said Akko.

"No," said Elma. "Four hundred years ago, there was a civil war between dragons over whether or not dragons and humans could coexist that threatened to destroy the Lautreamont Knight Kingdom. I couldn't stand by and do nothing like the rest of my family, so I secretly aided the Cavendish Family in their secret underground hospitals."

"Diana's family?" asked Akko, surprised.

"The Cavendishes are a long line of healing witches that have secretly aided people from the middle ages to the last war," answered Elma. "I thought if I could add my knowledge on top of theirs, it could save countless lives. But my father, the Emperor of Order, found out and commanded me to return home. When I refused, he banished me from the House, stripped me of my surname, and refused to speak to me ever since. It's been four hundred years and he still holds a grudge. Stupid, stubborn old man."

"I'm…I'm sorry about that," said Akko remorsefully, suddenly wishing she hadn't asked. "I wish there was something I could do to help."

Elma suddenly straightened up in her seat, which made Akko jump once more. The dragon's sapphire-blue eyes trailed downward towards Akko's waist, falling on the Shiny Rod that Akko always kept on her person. Akko suddenly had the feeling she was going to regret her offer.

"You know, there _is_ something you could do for me," said Elma excitedly. "Kagari – would I be asking too much – but no, you probably wouldn't want to – "

"What is it?" said Akko.

"Well, this Halloween will be the Dragon King Festival," said Elma, drawing herself up and looking dignified. "Since I imagine you are unaware of what it is, the Dragon King Festival is a celebration to the end of the Dragon Civil War I just mentioned. Dragons come from all over every year to join in. This year will be the four hundredth anniversary and I've been chosen to host it."

"Um…congratulation?" said Akko, not sure where Elma was going with this.

"Thank you," said Elma proudly. "I'm hosting it in a private little clearing in the Arcturus Forest – don't worry, nothing from the forest is going to bother a party of over a hundred dragons It would be such an _honor_ if you would attend."

"Why me?" asked Akko.

"Because you have the Claiomh Solais," said Elma, jabbing her finger at the Shiny Rod. "The witch who helped end the Dragon Civil Wars was also a wielder of the Claiomh Solais. It's a historical treasure in our kingdom. I'm certain that everyone attending would be over the moon to see it in person. You're free to invite your friends if you wish – but I guess you'd rather go to the school feast?" She watched Akko on tenterhooks.

"That sounds awesome," said Akko excitedly. "A party full of dragons? Who wouldn't want to go to that? Hey, will Kanna be there?"

"She should be old enough now," said Elma nodded, before showing a grimace. "Unfortunately, Tohru will also be there…but I digress. Having the Claiomh Solais will be the highlight of the festival! And" – she hesitated, looking excited – "do you think you could _possibly_ mention to anyone how _very_ powerful and impressive I am?"

"I don't think that'll be a problem," said Akko.

"Wonderful, wonderful," said Elma, beaming. "Well, you'd best get along back to your dorm. I have a festival to prepare."

Akko couldn't believe her luck; she had somehow managed to trick Elma into forgetting her punishment completely and even got back in her good graces. She wasted no time speeding out of the office, up the corridor, and back upstairs. To escape from Elma's office without punishment was probably some kind of school record.

"Akko-nyan! Akko-nyan! Did it work?"

Blair leaned her head out of an open classroom door. Behind her, Akko could see the wreckage of a massive computer terminal that had been attached to a strange silver-and-blue harness device, which was equally smashed all over the floor.

"I persuaded Mxyz to crash it right over Elma's office," said Blair eagerly. "Thought it might distract her – "

"That was you?" said Akko gratefully. "Yeah, it worked. Not only did I get out of detention, but she even invited me to a festival in the forest."

"You mean the Dragon King Festival?" said Blair, looking mildly surprised. "Huh, didn't think that would happen. Well, I guess it's better than scrubbing toilets."

"You wanna come, Blair?" asked Akko eagerly. "Elma said I could invite my friends."

"Hmm…aw, why not?" said Blair. "It's not every day we get invited to a huge, one-of-a-kind event like this. And if we're lucky, we might even get to see Elma and Tohru kick the crap out of each."

Sadly, in Akko's opinion, that was a very likely possibility.

* * *

"The Dragon King Festival?" said Lotte keenly when Akko had changed at last and joined them in the common room. "I bet there aren't many people who can say they've been to a dragon-related event – it sounds like it'll be fun."

"You can count the three of us out," said Amanda, gesturing to herself, Constanze, and Jasminka while they were halfway through their Pharmaceutics homework. "Jasminka doesn't have a solid reputation with dragons and I'm not gonna go to a party where the guests could eat me…."

Rain was still lashing the windows, which were now inky black, but inside all looked bright and cheerful. The firelight glowed over the countless squashy armchairs where people sat reading, talking, doing their homework, or in the case of a couple of fourth years that Akko had never talked to before, trying to find out what happens when you fed a firework to a dodongo. Apparently one of them had "rescued" the noxious-green, fire-dwelling lizard from a Study of Abnormal Creatures class and it was now smoldering gently on the table surrounded by a knot of curious people.

Akko was at the point of telling everyone about Elma and the letter from her parents when the dodongo suddenly whizzed into the air, emitting loud sparks and bangs as it whirled wildly around the room. The sight of Amelia O'Neill bellowing herself hoarse at the fourth years, the spectacular display of emerald stars showering from the dodongo's mouth, and its escape into the fire, with accompanying explosions, drove both Elma and the letter from Akko's mind.

* * *

By the time Halloween arrive, Akko was regretting her rash promise to go to the Dragon King Festival. The rest of the school was happily anticipating their Halloween feast; the dining hall had been decorated extravagantly with clouds of live bats, Croix's super pumpkins had been carved into lanterns large enough for three men to sit in, and there were rumors that Professor Holbrooke had booked the world-famous idol group, Soleil, to perform for the entertainment.

"A promise is a promise," Blair reminded Akko. "You _said_ you'd go to her festival. No backing out now.

So at seven o'clock, Akko, Lotte, Sucy, and Blair walked straight past the doorway to the packed dining hall, which was glittering invitingly with its sparkling baubles and Croix's hologram images, and directed their steps instead toward the front door.

They marched past the fountain and down the sweeping lawn towards the edge of the forest. They found a path between the trees lined with Chinese lanterns, each one written with a different character. As they stepped further inside the forest, the saw banners hanging off tree branches, once again written in Chinese characters ("The Lautreamont Knight Kingdom used to be a part of China before they seceded and started their own nation back in the 14th century," Blair explained). The temperature had been cold due to the recent rain and the nightly chill, making Akko shiver and draw her cloak tightly around her. But when they reached further inside, the atmosphere started to feel considerably warmer, like someone had ignited a giant bonfire, and started hearing noises that sounded like 1920s American jazz.

"Dragons are really old-fashioned types, but they have great taste in music," said Blair.

They reached the edge of the clearing where they saw Elma dressed in a royal-blue qipao with a golden dragon that looped around her waist and the head ended over her breast. She was standing in front of a wooden gate hung with a banner that read " **Welcome to the** **400th Dragon King Festival"**.

"My dear friends," she said with a gracious bow. "Welcome, welcome…so pleased you could come…."

She pushed open the gates and bowed them inside.

It was an incredible sight. The wide clearing had been altered to look exactly like a festival. Walls of paper lanterns were strewn up in every direction, casting a warm glow over the guests while food and gift stalls were raised in neat lines with a flow of traffic walking up and down the rows. On the opposite side of the clearing was a grand stage where the jazz band was playing loudly over the chatter of festival goers while a troupe of performers where doing a ceremonial dance. But perhaps the most amazing thing was that every single person here was a dragon. They were all in human forms, but you could distinguish them by their tails, horns, and wings.

"This is so awesome!" Akko shouted excitedly.

"Wow, this place is packed!" said Blair impressively, and they set off through the swarming crowds of dragons. They passed a gloomy-looking man with dark circles under his eyes playing a handheld, a dragon woman with massive melons wearing next to nothing, and Akko could see Kanna in the distance talking to a little human girl she must have invited; the girl suddenly started spazzing out when Kanna touched her shoulder. Akko wasn't surprised to see that Tohru had brought Miss Kobayashi to the festival, who was taking the whole thing surprisingly well; honestly, Akko didn't think there was anything that could surprise Miss Kobayashi these days -

"Mama!"

Blair was suddenly tackled from the side, nearly knocking her over. Everyone looked in surprise. It was a little dragon girl that looked roughly around the same age as Kanna with fluffy pink hair that reached down her back and had two tiny horn buds that looked more like cute bear ears. The little dragon girl stared up at Blair with shimming ears; Blair just looked uncomfortable.

"Mama, you made it!" The little dragon girl cheered. "I was hoping you would!"

"I'm…sorry, do I know you?" said Blair awkwardly.

"Mou, mama, you meanie," said the dragon girl, puffing out her cheeks cutely. "How could you not remember? It's me – Eco!"

"E – Eco!" Blair gasped, realization suddenly washing over her. "Oh my god, Eco, it really is you!" She grabbed the little dragon by her arm pits and lifted her up in the air, making Eco laugh. "Look how big you've gotten! I didn't recognize you at all!"

"Well, I am a dragon!" said Eco proudly. Blair pulled her closer to her chest like a mother holding her child as Eco looked over the group. "Hi, Auntie Akko, Auntie Lotte, Auntie Sucy. It's been a long time."

"Not long enough," Sucy grumbled; Akko elbowed her in the side.

"Wow, you look so much different now, Eco," said Lotte kindly. "I remember when you were just a hatchling and you used to knock over Professor Ursula's bookshelves all the time. So you learned how to transform into a human, huh?"

"Of course, I did," said Eco, suddenly acting snotty. "Human transformations is one of the most basic magics a dragon can learn. Although, I did it before anyone else in my age group could because I'm special."

"And have an ego to match," said Sucy.

"Mama, can we get some food," Eco seemed to change the subject at the drop of a hat. "I'm hungry."

"Why not?" said Blair, grinning. "We're all missing the Halloween feast for this – might as well make up for it with unhealthy festival food. Who's with me?"

The girls cheered.

Together with Eco as the newest addition to their party, they walked up and down the lines of stalls. They filled themselves up with fatty fried foods (with a live performance of the dragons frying them with their breath), moon cakes, noodles, spring rolls, and cotton candy. They found Professor Akane drunk on the edge of the festival grounds next to a small fortune teller stand run by a witch that was apparently familiar with Akane's drinking habits. They tried their luck at a bunch of games, but Eco dominated all of them and Akko was, predictably, the loser every time. They stopped by the stage halfway through the festival to watch a reenactment of the final battle in the Dragon Civil War: two dragons were in their natural forms while a woman was swinging around a prop made to look like the Shiny Rod.

"Whoa, Elma wasn't lying," said Akko after the performance ended. "The people – er, dragons, really like the Shiny Rod."

"The Shiny Rod has been a major part of history ever since the first wielder, Woodward, used it to end the Hundred Years War," Blair informed them. "Every person who has ever wielded the Shiny Rod has become a famous name in magical history: The Olde Witch Woodward, the Great Witch Jennifer, Shiny Chariot – "

"And me," said Akko, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "Wow…no pressure or anything."

"Aw, just relax, it's not like you have to do anything right now," said Blair confidently, patting her back hard. "I'm sure when you're older you'll doing something that will put you in the history books."

That certainly didn't make Akko feel any better about herself. She was lost deep in her thoughts that she didn't see where she was going and ended up bumping into someone. Akko landed hard on her butt and glared up at the person who ran into her, fully prepared to tell them off, but her voice got lost somewhere in her throat when she saw the person.

Akko always told herself that the creepy girls from the _Grudge_ and _Ring_ were just movies characters and weren't real, but this girl was a dead ringer for either Kayako or Sadako. Matted, oily-black hair that draped over the right side of her face; entire chunks were missing like they had been ripped out by the roots. While the skin around her face was deathly pale and cracked like a dry desert wasteland, the rest of her exposed skin was in patches of ash-black and raw-red; signs of severe burns. Her clothes were ripped, fray, and looked like they had been burned along with the rest of her; some of the skin was actually fused with her clothes. Her single olive eye glanced down at Akko, staring without blinking. Was the air getting thinner…?

"Hey, Alessa, didn't think you'd be here," Sucy said suddenly with a friendly wave.

The ghastly girl known as Alessa looked up at Sucy; Akko could suddenly breath properly again.

"Hello, Sucy," answered Alessa gloomily. "No, I wasn't expecting to be here either. But the noise…it was disturbing me…."

"Um…who's your friend, Sucy?" Akko asked cautiously as she slowly stood up.

"Akko, don't you know who that is?" Lotte hissed into Akko's ear. "That's Alessa Gillespie. She's the poltergeist that haunts the abandoned tower southwest of the school."

"Wait, we have an abandoned tower?" Akko blinked surprisingly. "Why didn't I know about that?"

"Because students are forbidden from entering," said Lotte. "Poltergeists are malevolent spirits that seek to harm anyone that crosses their territory, but Alessa Gillespie is the worst. She has this strange power about her. I don't know what it is, but the people that Alessa doesn't kill usually end up killing themselves because they've gone mad. Professor Holbrooke closed off the tower years ago."

"So how does Sucy know her?" asked Akko.

"We hang out on weekends," said Sucy with a hunt of a smile. "We compare notes on disembowelment and other stuff like that."

"…why are we friends again?" asked Akko uneasily.

Alessa's eye wandered over to Akko once more and Akko felt herself stiffening involuntarily; it was like this poltergeist had possession of her. As her eye wandered over Akko, it suddenly stopped at her waist, staring very intensely at the Shiny Rod tucked in her belt.

"Hey…do any of you know Croix Meridies?" Alyssa suddenly asked.

"She's our teacher back up at the school," answered Akko, tilting her head confused. "Why do you ask?"

"…Nothing," Alessa spoke softly.

Without another word or explanation, Alessa Gillespie suddenly pivoted on her heel and seemingly evaporated into the darkness; Akko released a heavy breath she didn't realize she had been holding. That was quite possibly the strangest encounter she possibly had all year. Though it did leave her curious. How did Alessa know Croix and why was she asking about her? Very strange….

Before Akko could think too deeply on the matter, Elma suddenly appeared from the crowd.

"Are you enjoying yourselves?"

"Oh yeah!"

"Definitely!"

"Awesome!"

"Thank you, thank you," said Elma with a happy smile. "The turnout was much better than I expected. Even Leviathan, Bahamut, and Jörmungandr came to attend…. It's nearly time for my speech, I'd better go and warn the band…."

The band, however, stopped playing at that very moment followed shortly by a wave of gasps that could be heard everywhere. The entire festival suddenly fell silent, every dragon looking in the direction of the stage, all of them narrowing their eyes and baring their teeth looking ready to kill; even Eco was growling.

"Oh no, anyone but him," said Elma, hissing with clear disdain.

Akko and the others followed Elma as she pushed her way through the crowd to make her way to the stage. When they reached the front, they found what – or who – everyone was leering at. A muscular dark-skinned man with long, wild, dark-blue hair was casting a sharp gaze at the crowd; black circles painted around his eyes. He had numerous blue tattoos marking his right arm and face and donned a tattered black cloak that covered the left half of his chest.

Every single dragon in the festival was glaring at him with furious contempt, but the man seemed to revel in their heated gazes. He took a step back as Elma leapt onto the stage, standing feet apart from the man with her hands balled up into fists, shaking like she was restraining herself from doing something she might regret.

"Ah, Elma of the House of Harmony," he said with a smug laugh. "I should have known you would pull off a festival as grand as this. Shame that you forgot to invite me to festivities."

"Acnologia," Elma snarled. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Well, it _is_ the Dragon King Festival," said Acnologia. "And I _am_ the Dragon King."

"You're no king to us, murderer!" someone shouted in the crowd.

"I see there are some humans among us," Acnologia ignored the comment and zeroed in on Akko's group. "And not just any humans, either. I see the newest host of the Claiomh Solais has decided to join us – I've been hearing so many rumors about you. And" – He took a deep breath – "Chariot Du Nord's spawn no less. Your mother caused quite a bit of trouble for me in the past, child."

"Stay away from her," Blair said threateningly, throwing an arm protectively over Akko.

"Acnologia, I demand that you leave this very instant," said Elma forcefully.

"But I have done nothing wrong," said Acnologia with a cunning smirk. "And isn't the Dragon King Festival remembering the past and learning from our mistakes."

"What you did wasn't a mistake," said Elma. "You murdered hundreds of our brothers and sisters… _on purpose!_ "

"It was a war – what were you expecting me to do?" said Acnologia.

The self-imposed Dragon King didn't look at all sorry; the crowd of dragons were leering and gnashing their teeth with rage, but none of them stepped forward. Whoever this Acnologia was, he wasn't someone they were willing to attack recklessly. The menacing dragon swept off the stage into the crowd, which immediately parted down the middle to open a path for him. As he walked by, Akko could feel Acnologia's eyes on her; that toothy grin he was sporting made her feel uneasy.

"I think we should go back to the castle," Lotte muttered as the band ground back into action and the crowd dispersed, most keeping a wide berth from Acnologia.

"That's probably a good idea," Lotte agreed.

"Okay, you three head on up," said Blair. "I'm gonna stay here with Eco for a little while. We have a lot of catching up to do."

They bowed out to Elma as they left through the wooden gates, and a minute later were hurrying back up the lawn and bursting through the front doors into the entrance.

"You think they still have desert going on?" said Akko hopefully, walking in the direction of the dining hall.

"Akko, you already gorged yourself on festival food," said Lotte flabbergasted. "How can you still be hungry."

"Don't you know, Lotte?" said Akko smugly. "Girls always have room for sweets."

They were halfway across the hall when Akko heard it.

"… _can't…stop…her…_ "

It was the same voice, the same cold, miserable voice she had heard in Annabel Crème's office.

She stumbled to a halt, clutching at the stone wall, listening with all her might, looking around, squinting up and down the dimly lit chamber.

"Akko, what're you – ?"

"It's that voice again – shut up a minute – "

"… _It's too late…can't stop her…_ "

"Listen!" said Akko urgently, and Lotte and Sucy froze, watching her.

"… _the first…it's all…Akko…"_

The voice was getting fainter. Akko was sure it was moving away. A mixture of fear and excitement gripped her as she stared at the dark ceiling. Just what was it that she was hearing? A fairy? A phantom? A massive ancient snake that was slipping through the pipes killing everyone with its gaze? Okay, that last one was just plain stupid, Akko admitted.

"This way," she shouted, and she began to run, up the stairs. It was no good hoping to hear anything here, the babble of talk from the Halloween feast was echoing out of the dining room. Akko sprinted up the spiral staircase to the first floor, Lotte and Sucy clattering behind her.

"Akko, what're we – "

"SHH!"

Akko strained her ears. Distantly, from the floor above, and growing fainter still, she heard the voice "… _kill us all…please…AKKO, PLEASE!_ "

Her stomach lurched –

"Someone's in trouble!" she shouted, and ignoring Lotte and Sucy's bewildered faces, she ran up the next flight of steps three at a time, trying to listen over her own pounding footsteps –

Akko hurtled around the whole of the second floor, Lotte and Sucy panting behind her, not stopping until they turned a corner into the last, deserted passage.

"Akko, _what_ was that all about?" said Sucy, wiping sweat off her face. "I couldn't hear anything…."

But Lotte gave a sudden gasp, pointing down the corridor.

" _Look!_ "

Something was shining on the wall ahead. They approached slowly, squinting through the darkness. Foot-high words had been daubed on the wall between two windows, shimmering in the light cast by the flickering green flames of the torches.

 **THE WORLD SHALL BE CLEANSED OF YOUR SIN  
ALL WITCHES BEWARE THE PURIFIERS**

It looked like it was written in blood. Akko couldn't explain why, but the message sent a shiver of fear running down her spine.

"Hey…who's that?" said Sucy, a noticeable quiver in her voice.

There was someone standing in a corner at the end of the corridor, staring motionlessly into the wall. Akko, Lotte, and Sucy looked uncertainly at each other, but nodded in a silent agreement and edged closer to the person. As they walked closer, Akko started to recognize the features of the person in the torchlight. Tall and slender while at the same time muscular and broad-shouldered, but what really have it away was the mess of pink hair that topped it head. It was Lightning Farron, the Lunar Chariot Race captain.

"Lightning…," said Akko, reaching her hand out slowly, "are you okay…?"

When Akko touched her shoulder, Lightning immediately flipped around and the three Polaris girls leapt backwards with a shared shriek. Lightning's skin was unnaturally gray, her pink hair having lost its natural shine, and sickly-black vein climbing all over her body.

Lightning snarled like a crazed beast and tackled Akko to the ground, snapping her teeth as she snarled savagely. Akko threw up her hands and pushed against Lightning's shoulder's barely keeping her away by inches, but the older girl was stronger than her and it would only be a matter of time before she sunk her teeth into Akko's neck.

Akko was starting to feel her strength give out and Lightning's jaw inched closer to her throat when a purple liquid suddenly splashed all over Lightning's back. The possessed woman paused for a moment and looked back to see Sucy standing over her with an empty potion bottle and Lotte holding a fire spirit that she had collected from the nearby torches in her hand. Knowing what they were planning, Akko pushed her knee into Lightning's chest and shoved her off. Lotte threw the fire spirit at Lightning, who immediately ignited into a bonfire of green flames. She thrashed and screamed across the floor, trying to put herself out with no success. They watched as she writhed in agony for a whole minute before she finally slumped onto the floor motionless.

"That enough!" Lotte shouted, and the fire spirit jumped off of Lightning, leaving her slightly burned but still alive.

For a few seconds neither Akko, Lotte, nor Sucy moved. They were trying to make sense of what just happened. Then Sucy said, "Let's get out of here."

"Shouldn't we try and help – " Akko began awkwardly.

"Trust me," said Sucy. "We don't want to be found here."

But it was too late. A rumble, as though of distant thunder, told them that the feast had just ended. From either end of the corridor where they stood came the sound of hundreds of feet climbing the stairs, the loud, happy talk of well-fed people; next moment, students were crashing into the passage from both ends.

"Okay, how does that even make any sense?" said Akko dumbfounded. "This is an empty hallway on the farthest end of the second floor. No one needs to take this way to get to their dorms."

"Plot device," said Sucy bluntly. "Or you're just that unlucky."

The chatter, the bustle, the noise died suddenly as the people in front spotted Lightning, recognized captain of the Lunar House team, lying on the floor covered in burns. Akko, Lotte, and Sucy stood alone, in the middle of the corridor, as silence fell among the mass of students pressing forward to see the grisly sight.

Then a soft voice spoke through the quiet.

"All witches beware the purifiers. Akko…what have you done?"

It was Diana Cavendish. She had pushed to the front of the crowd with Hannah and Barbara, all of them more frightened by the message on the wall than their immobilized senior. She and Akko locked eyes with one another and Akko knew – Diana was scared of her.

* * *

 **I think this chapter turned out quite well all things considered. I mostly liked this chapter because it gave Elma a backstory (which is sorely lacking in the source material; Elma is best girl!), Eco makes her return in her human form, and we get the first appearance of Acnologia in the series – all three characters will be playing important roles in the future. I'm also a little proud of how the wall scene played out. Catching Akko and the others in the act of burning another student underneath a bloody message seems like a much better reason for everyone to be suspicious rather than hanging a frozen cat. The next chapter will have a massive info dump on the new enemy, so be prepared for that.**

 **Next Chapter: The Writing on the Wall**


	9. The Writing on the Wall

**Akko Kagari and the Evil Within**

 **Chapter** **N** **ine: The Writing on the Wall**

"What's going on here? What's going on?"

And just when Akko thought this night just couldn't get any worse, Professor Finnelan came shouldering her way through the crowd. Then she saw Lightning charred on the floor and fell back, clutching her face in horror.

"By the Nine Olde Witches! Miss Farron! What's happened to Miss Farron?" she shrieked.

And her popping eyes fell on Akko.

" _You!_ " she screeched. " _You!_ I always knew you would be trouble, but this is taking it too far! You despicable child! I'll – "

" _Anne!_ "

Professor Holbrooke arrived on the scene, follow by a number of other teachers. In seconds, she had swept past Akko, Lotte, and Sucy and stooped over Lightning's unmoving body, running a hand down her back.

"Come with me, Anne," she said to Professor Finnelan. "You, too, Miss Kagari, Miss Jansson, Miss Manbavaran."

Annabel Crème stepped forward from the crowd.

"You are free to use my office, Headmistress – it's just down the hall – "

"Thank you, Annabel," said Professor Holbrooke.

She used a hovering charm to lift Lightning off the ground without touching her and moved along down the corridor. The silent crowd parted to let them pass. Annabel Crème, showing the first signs of concern in a while, hurried after Professor Holbrooke; so did Ursula and Croix.

As they entered Annabel Crème's darkened office, the youngest teacher whipped out her magic fountain pen and scratched it across the air, shaping words out of nothing. When she had finished, she had written the word "Light" and suddenly the entire room had become illuminated in a heavenly bright shine that radiated from the floating words. Annabel Crème grabbed the word out of the air, moved it to her desk, and stood back. Professor Holbrooke lay Lightning on the polished surface and began to examine her. Akko, Lotte, and Sucy exchanged tense looks and sank into chairs outside the pool of light, watching.

The tip of Professor Holbrooke's nose was barely an inch from Lightning's stone-grey skin. She was looking at her closely through her spectacles, her small fingers gently prodding and poking. Professor Finnelan was bent almost as close, her eyes narrowed. Professor Ursula had borrowed one of Professor Croix's Sorcerer Units and was scanning Lightning's body as details of its finding popped up on a holographic screen. Professor Croix herself loomed behind them all, half in shadow, wearing a most peculiar expression: It looked like she was trying to stave off the urge to shout and clutching her arm unbearably tight. And the whole time, Annabel Crème was writing in her notepad, muttering herself as she circled Lightning's body.

"Skin tone gone savagely pale…noticeable lack of color in hair and pupils…fingernails are yellow – that's never a good sign. Gums look like they were inflicted with a rapid disease, but show no sign of falling out. Nothing that indicates that their flesh is deteriorating, but it's too early to rule out the possibility of a zombie infection…."

Professor Holbrooke was now muttering strange words under her breath and waved her hand across Lightning's unmoving body, weaving an oval bubble of green energy around her like a coffin or a capsule. Croix fidgeted in her corner as Holbrooke did this, biting down on her lip and her nails threatening to tear the fabric of her shirt.

At last Professor Holbrooke straightened up, turning to her fellow teachers.

"I think we all know without me saying so," said Professor Holbrooke gravely. "But I am afraid that Miss Farron has been afflicted with some type of bacterial virus. But what type of virus it is, I cannot say…."

"Isn't it just another strain of the T-Virus manufactured by the Umbrella Corporation?" asked Annabel Crème.

"It's similar, but there are a number of distinct differences," said Ursula knowledgeably. "When Umbrella Corp made their virus, it destroyed a victim's brains and mutated them into horrific, rage-fueled, flesh-eating monsters. But this one is different. The brain and the body are otherwise unaffected beyond the obvious changes in her appearance. It's more like the virus is latching to her brain, sending out new electrical impulses through the spine and nervous systems. The thing is, if Professor Croix's machine is right, these impulses are being activated remotely."

"So it's not a mutation as much as it is mind control," said Professor Finnelan. "I've never heard of a virus that could do that."

"I have," Professor Croix finally spoke up, her voice heavily strained. "Just once, during a trip to America. But the BSAA should have destroyed any trace of its existence. So the question is how did it cross an entire ocean to get here?"

"Why don't we ask _her_?" said Professor Finnelan scathingly, turning to face Akko and her friends.

"Hey, I never touched her!" said Akko defiantly. "Okay, so maybe I kicked her in the gut and Lotte and Sucy burned her up a little, but she was trying to eat my face! It was purely self-defense!"

"I sincerely doubt Akko could have done this," said Ursula. "This is a highly advanced pharmaceutical virus. It would have to take someone with exception skill in chemical crafting to create a bacterium like this."

There was a short pause before everyone turned their gaze on Sucy.

"As much I would love to take credit for this," said Sucy nonchalantly, "it wasn't me. That being said, it wouldn't hurt to get a sample of – "

"No!" the teachers shouted in unison.

"If I might speak, Headmistress," said Annabel Crème and Akko's sense of foreboding increased; she was sure nothing Annabel Crème had to say was going to do her any good.

"Kagari and her friends may have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time," she said. "But we do have a set of suspicious circumstances here. Why was she in the upstairs corridor at all? Why wasn't she at the Halloween feast?"

Akko, Lotte, and Sucy all launched into an explanation about the Dragon King Festival. "…Elma was the one that invited us, she'll tell you we were there – "

"Okay, so maybe you have an alibi for being gone during the feast," said Annabel Crème, her eyes glittering in the light. "But why were you up in that corridor in the first place? I don't think that hall is on the way to your dorm."

"Neither was anyone else's," said Akko. "And yet the whole school just happened to be in the hallway at that exact time. It's like the plot device of a badly written book."

"Okay, you might be right about that," Annabel Crème conceded. "That seems like the kind of thing that hack Rowling would do. But that still doesn't explain why you were on the second floor instead of heading up to your dorm."

"Because – because – " Akko said, her heart thumping very fast; something told her it would sound very far-fetched if she told them she had been led there by a bodiless voice no one but her could hear, "because I saw a cute kitty and had to chase it?"

"…Seems perfectly normal," said Ursula.

"That's something I can believe," Croix nodded.

"I would probably do the same thing," hummed Annabel Crème.

"Unbelievable, all of you," Professor Finnelan scoffed, rolling her eyes at their, in her opinion, blatant stupidity. "I don't believe a word that is coming from this delinquent's mouth. She has been nothing but trouble ever since she set foot in Luna Nova. I suggest, Headmistress, that Kagari is hiding something from us. It might be a good idea if she were deprived of certain privileges until she is ready to tell use the whole story. I personally feel she should be taken off the Chariot Race team, as compensation for losing our captain because of her."

"Really, Anne," said Ursula sharply. "I see no reason to stop Miss Kagari from playing in Chariot Races. This girl wasn't hit over the head with a broomstick. There is no evidence at all that Akko has done anything wrong."

Professor Holbrooke was giving Akko a searching look. Her twinkling light-blue gaze made Akko feel as though she were being x-rayed.

"Innocent until proven guilty, Anne," she said firmly.

Professor Finnelan looked furious.

"One of our students has been infected!" she yelled irritably. "And we are letting the only known suspect of the crime leave without punishment?"

"Professor Croix," said Professor Holbrooke patiently. "You said you have seen this type of infection before, correct? Do you think it is possible to create a cure?"

"It's hard for me to say, Headmistress," said Croix grimly. "All of the research notes on the infection are in the BSAA's highest security data vault, so I'm gonna have to pull a few strings to get inside – thankfully, Redfield and Valentine owe me a couple of favors. But even if I get my hands on all the notes, there is no guarantee that I could synthesize a vaccine. They still haven't found a cure for the T-Virus, so dealing with a more advanced strain of bacterium may prove to be five times more difficult."

"I'm sure you will do fine," said Professor Holbrooke. "You've always been tremendously brilliant. In fact, I remember twenty years ago – "

"Headmistress!" Ursula suddenly shouted, making everyone jump. "I mean, Headmistress, it is getting very late. I think it would be best to send Miss Kagari and her friends up to bed now."

There was a very awkward pause as Professor Holbrooke took a moment to consider Ursula's words.

"Yes, yes, you are quite right," said Professor Holbrooke, turning on Akko, Lotte, and Sucy. "You may go."

They went, as quickly as they could without actually running. When they were a floor up from Annabel Crème's office, they turned into an empty classroom and closed the door quietly behind them. Akko squinted at her friends' darkened faces.

"D'you think I should have told them about the voice I heard?"

"No," said Lotte, without hesitation. "Hearing voices no one else can hear isn't a good sign, especially for a Demi-Humans. It's usually the sign of possession or a curse."

Something in Lotte's voice made Akko ask, "You believe me, don't you?"

"Of course I do," said Lotte quickly. "But – you have to admit it's weird…."

"I know it's weird," said Akko. "The whole thing's weird. What was that writing on the wall about? _All witches beware the Purifiers…._ What's that supposed to mean?"

"I know my mom talked about the Purifiers a couple times before," said Sucy, scratching her chin thoughtfully. "But the way she always talked about them, you would think they're ancient history."

"But what are they?" asked Akko.

"Some kind of cult that hates demi-humans – religious sect, probably," said Sucy. "Even in modern times, the human churches aren't fond of demi-humans. Most humans nice and don't mind them, but there are extremists that hate demi-humans solely for existing. The good thing is that most people today don't care about religion because they're too busy worshiping their cellphones."

"But how could they even get into Luna Nova?" asked Akko. "Aren't we supposed to be protected from uninvited outsiders?"

"Yeah, that's a mystery," Sucy shrugged.

A clock chimed somewhere.

"Midnight," said Akko. "We'd better get to bed before Finnelan comes along and tries to frame us for something else."

* * *

For a few days, the school could talk of little else but the attack on Lightning. Finnelan kept it fresh in everyone's minds by pacing the spot where she had been attacked, as though the attacker might come back. Akko had seen Elma being forced to scrub the message on the wall with a bubbling, puke-green cleaning solution that smelled like rotted eggs, but it had no effect; the words still gleamed as brightly as ever on the stone.

Diana seemed deeply disturbed by Lightning's fate. According to Avery, Polaris's team spy, her performance has become noticeably sloppier during the Lunar team's next practice.

"It's completely understandable that their heads might not be in it after what happened," Amelia O'Neill said to her team after Avery's report. "They just lost their captain, who was an exceptional witch on and off the field. As much as we didn't get along, I respected her. I just hope they catch whoever is responsible for this before they attack any of our players."

The attack had also had an effect on Amanda's little group as well. It was highly unusual to ever see Amanda pick up a book, let alone read it, but she and Jasminka had been spending endlessly amounts of hours holed up in the library while Constanze was searching through the internet with her Stan-Bot. Akko and the others couldn't get so much as a hello from them when they found them surrounded by a fort of books. It wasn't until the following Wednesday when they found out what they were up to.

Akko had been held back Fundamentals of Magic Pharmaceutics where Akko once again blew up another cauldron and had to scrub mealworms off the ceiling. After a hurried lunch, she went upstairs to finish her homework for her advanced History of Magic class in the library when she ran into Makoto Kowata, a friend of hers from the Twilight house and the little sister of Professor Akane (though you would never know considering how different they were in appearance and personality). Akko had just opened her mouth to say hello to her fellow Japanese classmate when Makoto caught sight of her, turned abruptly, and sped off in the opposite direction.

Akko walked into the library and spotted another friend of hers, Nanoha Takamachi from Lunar house, sitting at a lone table doing her own homework. Unlike Makoto, Nanoha greeted Akko with a friendly wave and invited her to sit across from her. Akko pulled out her essay. Professor Lenz had asked them to write a two page, single-paced composition on the Demi-Human's contribution to Napoleon Bonaparte's fall from power.

"I can't believe it, I'm still half a page short…." Akko grumbled, flipping through her textbook obsessively. "And Diana's done three pages and her handwriting is _tiny_. Ugh, why does she always have to show me up."

"Well, Diana does come from a prestigious family name and is a bit of an overachiever," said Nanoha lightly. "But you could always think of it as a challenge. A competition between you two. Having friendly rivals always motivates one to do better."

"Well, I don't think Diana considers me a friend or a rival," said with a depressing sigh. "And if that wasn't bad enough, I just saw Makoto earlier and she ran away from me like I was some kind of monster."

"Huh, that's weird," said Nanoha. "Didn't you two always used to hang out together last year?"

"Yeah, she always helped me with my Charms homework," said Akko. "Why's she acting all weird now?"

'It does seem a little strange," said Nanoha. "You don't think it has something to do with - ?"

All of a sudden, Amanda slumped into the seat next to Akko, throwing herself over the table, while Constanze and Jasminka to the end seats with similar defeated expressions.

"That's it, we give up," Amanda groaned, burying her face in her crossed arms so that her voice came out muffled. "We tried looking through _all_ the history books in the library, even that extra thick one that's the size of Jasminka's head. Constanze even looked everywhere on the internet, but certain sites have been blocked and Constanze can't hack her way through – I'll bet you anything that Croix's behind it.

"What are you trying to find?" said Akko.

"The same thing that everyone else wants to know," said Jasminka, "to find out who the Purifiers are."

"Sucy says they might be some religious cult that hates Demi-Humans," said Akko.

"That doesn't exactly narrow it down," said Amanda. "There are a lot of religious cults that hate Demi-Humans, but there's something different about these Purifier guys. The teachers are going the extra mile to keep anything about them from the students."

Unfortunately, the bell rang and Akko realized too late that she hadn't finished her essay in time. Maybe she could get a peek at Diana's before they turn them in.

Many consider History of Magic to be an excessively dull subject, but Akko loved learning about ancient witches and their secret accomplishments throughout history. She was probably the only one in her group of friends that ever got a passing grade in the class and was bumped up to the advance class with the fourth years. Unfortunately, Diana was also there too, being the perfect student that she was. Professor Ymir Lenz, who taught the subject, was a tall and lanky woman that showed the same type of boredom as her students for the subject, even when describing the bloodiest events in Demi-Human history with the goriest of details. The way she would go in depth about her subject made many people wonder if she knew this from first-hand experience; many students suspected their teacher was older than she looked.

Today, Ymir introduced them to the Battle of Waterloo, which would be Napoleon's final battle, and how witches were essential in the Duke of Wellington's defense against the French forces. Akko would normally have taken notes, but her mind was so distracted by recent events that her thoughts began to wonder away from the classroom like most of the students. Professor Ymir had been speaking for half an hour when something happened that had never happened before. Diana put her hand up.

Ymir, glancing up in the middle of her lecture on the Persian's breakthrough of Napoleon's forces, looked surprised. This was probably the first time she had ever seen a student conscious enough to raise their hand.

"Yes, Miss Cavendish?"

"Professor, I was wondering if you could tell us anything about the Purifiers," said Diana in a clear voice.

One of the fourth years, who had been sitting with her mouth hanging open, gazing out the window, jerked out of her trance; another's head came up off her arms and the one in the seat next to Akko slipped out of her desk.

Ymir blinked.

"You're here to focus on the subject of History of Magic," she said in a short, emotionless voice. "You are to focus only on history, not school gossip." She cleared her throat and continued, "Now, when the Persians Demi-Humans broke through Napoleon's right flank, the Duke of Wellington began his counter-attack – "

She stuttered to a halt. Diana's hand was waving in the air again. Ymir snapped her book shut and tapped it to her forehead, groaning.

"Yes, Cavendish?"

"Please, Professor, this isn't some school gossip. The Purifiers are a part of Luna Nova's history, correct?"

"Well," said Ymir slowly, "yes, I will admit that they had some part in Luna Nova's ancient history." She peered at Diana, examining her with a critical eye. "But the headmistress made it expressly clear that students aren't supposed to know about – "

But the whole class was now hanging on Ymir's every word. She looked dimly at them all, every face turned to hers. Akko could tell she was completely thrown by such an unusual show of interest.

"Oh…fine," she said slowly with an exasperated sigh. "Everyone's going to find out eventually. Might as well learn all the facts before you start spreading wild rumors. Now…to know about the Purifiers, we need to go back to go back to the 14th century, before the foundation of Luna Nova…

"As I'm sure you're all aware, Demi-Humans weren't always treated as equally as they are today. A long time ago, humanity was in such an infantile state that they persecuted anyone that was different, even if they were of their own kind. Now the Asian and African countries respected Demi-Humans and even worshiped them as gods, but the European nations considered Demi-Humans to be demons set forth on this world by the devil – spawns of Satan they called them. This was due to the influence of the Christian church, who at the time held just as much authority as the government, but less than the royal family. It was the darkest time in Demi-Human history. Our kind was hunted down like wild animals, tortured and humiliated by the public before being burned at the stake. At that time, no one could tell the difference between a human and Demi-human wearing a disguise, so more often than not, they ended up burning innocent humans as well."

She paused, gazed blearily around the room, and continued.

"The Demi-Humans lived in a state of fear, frightened that they would be the human's next victims, until the Nine Olde Witches appeared."

"They were the founders of Luna Nova, right?" The students next to Diana asked.

"Yes, they were the first Demi-humans to learn and master the art of magic – the first witches in history. The Mud Witch Rita Repulsa, Zero of the Grimoire, The Coffin Princess Chaika, Arachne the Spider, the Saint King Olivie Sägebrecht, Salem the Grimm, The Unnamed Witch of Time, Beatrix the Affectionate, founder of the Cavendish Family, and their leader, Woodward of the Seven Stars, the first wielder of the Shiny Rod. Together, they drove off the humans that threatened their kind and built a sanctuary deep in the Arcturus Forest, where they would teach others the art of magic just like them in order to defend themselves against the oppression of mankind. That is how Luna Nova Academy came to be founded."

Ymir paused again, pursing her lips before she continued on.

"For a few years, life was relatively peaceful for the Demi-Humans, but there was no denying their sense of entrapment – the feeling that they were prisoners in their own home. But the Nine Olde Witches warned them that the outside world was dangerous and the humans still feared them. It seemed like they would never leave the confines of the Arcturus Forest…that is, until one foolish witch dared to wander beyond the boundary, one I'm sure you're all familiar with…the Great Witch Jennifer."

"Who's the Great Witch Jennifer?" asked Akko immediately.

A sudden hush fell over the classroom as everyone turned to Akko, each wearing a look of disbelief on their faces. Diana actually facepalmed herself.

"How do you not know who the Great Witch Jennifer is?" asked Diana exasperatedly. "She is one of the most famous witches in our history. She was the one who sealed away the Mad Titan Thanos. She inherited the Shiny Rod from Woodward. Her statue is right in front of the school!"

"Oh, I was wondering who that was," said Akko.

"Yes, anyway," said Ymir, clearing her throat before she continued. "Jennifer grew up in the Arcturus Forest from a very young age and had never seen the outside world before. Being the curious girl that she was, Jennifer slipped out without the Nine Olde Witches knowing it. But what she stumbled upon was not what she had expected. Around that time, both the English and the French nations were engaged in the final years of what would be known in history as the Hundred Years War, where both nations were fighting over the succession of the French throne. I can't possibly tell you what Jennifer saw that day she left the forest, but it must have left an impression on her because she ran straight to the Nine Olde Witches.

"Jennifer, after explaining what she saw, pleaded to her masters to end the violence with their magic. Most of the Nine Old Witches were not moved – they were still bitter of their treatment before – but Woodward seemed to take Jennifer's word to heart. While the others were content with letting the human kill each other, Woodward was thinking about what was best for everyone. She convinced her fellow witches that if they helped end the war, they could show the Demi-Humans in a more positive light; that they could be friends, not enemies. It took many weeks of deliberation, but they chose to believe in their leader and agreed."

Ymir took a moment to breath, looking up at her students. She must have been very surprised that everyone was actually paying attention for a change.

"Woodward and Jennifer traveled to the House of Valois in France where they held an audience with Charles the VII. While it was common fear that Woodward and Jennifer could be killed for their Demi-Human heritage, French were not as easily swayed by the church as the English. They recognized the advantage of having witches on their side and made a proposition. In exchange for their service, the Demi-Humans would be granted amnesty by the King of France, which would be the first step towards equal rights for Demi-Humans.

"And so, with the Demi-Humans aiding the war effort, the French army decimated the English forces, ending with an overwhelming victory in the Battle of Castillion. When the war had ended, the English lost much land to the French, including the land the where the Arcturus Forest resided, which the Charles the VII bequeathed to the Nine Olde Witches in gratitude of their service. The Demi-Humans, who were once treated as monsters, were greeted as heroes by the French population and welcomed into their country. In the wake of the war, France become the world's first Human/Demi-Human hybrid nation."

Ymir threw her book on her desk and leaned against it, arms folded with a furrowed brow.

"Now you would think that would be the end of the story," said Ymir. "The good guys won the war and they all lived happily ever after, right? Wrong.

"Even if the church didn't have as strong of an influence in France, it was still there. The church was outraged by the acceptance of Demi-Humans into French society and demanded they all be 'burned for their sins'; they even had the English and German churches backing them. Sadly for them, the people were on the side of the Demi-Humans. These were men and women who risked their lives for the sake of their nation while the church prayed to a God that stood back and did nothing for them. When the church tried to take matters into their own hands, the people rushed to the Demi-Human's defense and repelled the church until they were forced to retreat. The church tried their best to win back the favor of the people by preaching of the Demi-Human's evil, but the Demi-Humans were too well admired and loved to change, which began the church's recession from power.

"Time moved on and more wars were fought, only this time other nations borrowed the French's idea of recruiting Demi-Humans. Much like was happened in France, Demi-Humans started to become more accepted after fighting for their country – it's hard to hate someone who's risking their life for you. Centuries passed and social gaps started to close until it created the modern society that we know today. How's that for a history lesson?"

The students "ooh"ed and clapped; Ymir took a bow.

"But, Professor, you never explained who the Purifiers were," said Diana.

"Unfortunately, I just did," said Ymir with a grimace. "When I said that the church tried to take matters into their own hands, it was the creation of the purifiers. A cultist group of religious extremists who believe they are doing the work of God by purging the world of everything they believe to be sinful, and not just Demi-Humans. When the church started to lose power, they slipped into the shadows of history, silently observing and manipulate events in their pursuit of 'purity'."

"Does that mean they still exist?" asked a student sitting behind Akko.

"Sadly, they do," said Ymir. "No one knows who or where the Purifiers are, but you can trace their actions throughout history, crediting them as the source of the evilest names of all time: Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Kim Il Sung, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Donald Trump – just to name a few."

The class exchanged nervous looks.

"And this is why the headmistress didn't want me telling you anything," said Ymir, rubbing her neck. "Look, this isn't something you need to worry about. You're all students. Let the grown-ups worry about this heavy shit."

"But, Professor," said the student near the window, "you saw the message on the wall, didn't you? Doesn't that mean the Purifiers are inside Luna Nova Academy? Any one of us could be – "

"That's quite enough out of you, Evangeline," said Ymir shortly. "Look, Professor Croix explained it to the staff. What happened was that Miss Farron was accidentally exposed to a high concentration of _Sonnentreppe_ that Professor Cosmos had been working with. As for the writing on the wall, you know Myxz has no boundaries when it comes to his pranks. He just enjoys the chaos."

"If there's nothing going on, then why all the secrecy – " began Diana, but Ymir had enough.

"Shut the hell up already!" she snapped loudly, making everyone lean back into their seats. "I told you, there is nothing going on at Luna Nova Academy! There are no Purifiers in this school! You honestly think any religious nutbags would be able to slip under the eyes of the greatest collection of Demi-Humans in the world? Now I'm starting to regret telling you that stupid story! We will return, if you please, to your text books and the Fall of Napoleon!

And within five minutes, the class had sunk back into its usual torpor.

* * *

"You see, that kind of messed up of crap is the reason why mom never took us on Sundays," Amanda said to Akko and the others as they fought their way through the teeming corridors at the end of their lessons when Akko repeated everything she had learned in class. "There's always some prick that takes things way too seriously. I mean, killing people just because they're different? That's seriously f-ed up. Thank the Nine Olde Witches that most humans aren't like that."

"But it's still a lot to think about," said Lotte. "Professor Lenz said that Lightning was exposed to _Sonnentreppe_ and that Mxyz was the one who wrote on the wall. But that's not what the teachers said the other night when they were examining her. They're trying to cover it up, but why?"

As they were shunted along in the throng, Evie Winters went past.

"Akko-Senpai!"

"Evie! Ev – wait, hold up!" Akko shouted as she rolled by.

"Akko-senpai – Akko Senpai – a girl in my class has been saying you're – "

But Evie was so small and weak she couldn't fight against the tide of people bearing her toward the dining hall; they heard her squeak, "I'll tell you later, Akko-Senpai!" and she was gone.

"What's a girl in her class saying about you?" Jasminka wondered.

"Probably that I had something to do with what happened to Lightning," said Akko, her stomach dropping as she suddenly remembered the way Makoto Kowata had run away from her at lunchtime.

"Well, to be fair, you guys did burn her," said Amanda flippantly with her hands behind her head.

The crowd thinned and they were able to climb the next staircase without difficulty.

"Do you really think these Purifier guys managed to sneak into Luna Nova?" Amanda asked them.

"Whether or not it was a religious cult, the teachers are worried," said Sucy, frowning. "Even Professor Hex and Professor Croix couldn't figure out how to cure Farron, and they're pretty much the smartest people in the world when it comes to this stuff. Whatever it is, it didn't suddenly appear by accident."

As she spoke, they turned a corner and found themselves at the end of the very corridor where the attack had happened. They stopped and looked. The scene was just as it had been that night, except there was no zombified student trying to eat someone's face off, and an empty chair stood against the wall bearing the message " **THE WORLD SHALL BE CLEANSED OF YOUR SIN.** "

"That's where Finnelan has been keeping guard," Lotte muttered.

They looked at each other. The corridor was deserted.

"Can't hurt to have a look around," said Akko, dropping her bag and getting to her hands and knees so that she could crawl along, searching for clues.

"Hmm…don't see anything out of the ordinary," she hummed thoughtfully. "Though the staff needs to do a better job a cleaning the halls – there's a lot of mold."

"Um, Akko, something's watching us," said Lotte hesitantly.

Akko shot straight and walked over to Lotte, who was staring at the window next to the message on the wall. Lotte was pointing to the lower right pane where a tiny, almost unnoticeable snake was peeking in through the crack in the glass. The strangest thing was that the snake's scales were purely white and seemed to be staring directly at them, flicking its tongue every so often.

"Okay, that's a little weird," said Akko. "Do snakes usually act like that in the magical world?"

"Not unless they're familiars," said Lotte. "Sucy, do you know anything about – Sucy?"

She looked over her shoulder. Sucy was standing well back and seemed to be fighting the impulse to run.

"What's up?" asked Amanda.

"I – don't – like – snakes," said Sucy tensely.

It took a moment for this new piece of information to catch up to them; Lotte and Jasminka had the courtesy not to laugh, but the same couldn't be said for Constanze, Akko, or Amanda.

"Are you kidding me?" Akko gaffed, leaning against Constanze to keep herself from falling. "You have no problem talking about decapitation and other gross stuff, but snakes scare you? That's hilarious!"

"I don't mind them if they're dead," said Sucy, who was carefully looking anywhere but the window. "I just don't like the way they move…."

Akko, Amanda, and Constanze laughed harder.

"It's not funny!" said Sucy fiercely. "If you must know, when I was three, my mom left me alone with Lamia – her Anaconda familiar – when she had to run an emergency trip to the city to deliver medicine…. That monster liked to slither all over me, all cold and slimy, always staring at me with dead, unblinking eyes…"

She broke off, shuddering. Akko, Amanda, and Constanze were now flailing around the floor in giggling fits. Sucy leered at the darkly and reached inside her cloak, when her hand suddenly stopped and started sniffing the air suddenly. Akko paused in her laughter for a moment to look at her curiously before also sniffing the air. There was a hint of ash and brimstone and…rotting flesh that hadn't been there seconds ago. Sucy chanced one last look at the window, letting out a breath of relief when the snake was gone, and turned toward the corridor to her right saying, "I didn't think you liked to leave your tower, Alessa."

Akko and the others spun around on their heels. Alessa Gillespie, soot-stained and freshly burned as the night of the Dragon King Festival, was staring up at the message with half lidded eyes.

"I can go wherever I want, Sucy," said Alessa, slowly turning on their group. "And besides, the chatter from the students was more annoying than usual. I could hear it all the way from my tower. I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about."

"Okay…," said Akko slowly. "So…do you know anything about…this…?"

"It's bloody writing on the wall," said Alessa in a sarcastic tone. "I think it's pretty obvious right out of the gate."

"Well, yeah, but do you know anything about the message?" asked Akko hopefully. "Like, you know something about the Purifiers or – ?"

"Everyone knows who the Purifiers are – or at least they did before the headmistress censored it," Alessa cut in rudely. "Guess she was afraid it might scare her precious little students, afraid they might soil themselves from learning a bit of history. Tsk, they still haven't learned anything after…."

"After what?" said Jasminka urgingly.

"Nothing," said Alessa sharply. "I don't matter. Nothing matters anymore. I thought Croix would have understood better?"

"What do you mean 'Croix would have understood'?" said Akko quickly. "Do you know something about what's going on? Does Croix know? What aren't you telling us!" – she ran up to Alessa and started shaking her by the shoulders – "answer the question, woman!"

Alessa did not take kindly to Akko grabbing her; her eyes turned to a sizzling red and sent Akko flying down the hall, arcing over her friends, without even touching her. Akko landed flat on her face and slid across the recently polished floor until she smacked into the wall. Lotte and Jasminka quickly ran to her aid, but when Sucy, Amanda, and Constanze turned back to Alessa, only to find her gone with only a tiny wisp of black smoke in her wake.

Jasminka lifted Akko to her feet while Lotte nursed her bloody nose, but Sucy shrugged wearily and said, "Honestly, that was almost cheerful for Alessa…. C'mon, Finnelan might come back at any moment.

Akko and the others barely made it around the corner of the hallway when a loud voice made them all jump.

"HALT YOU!"

Right on cue, Professor Finnelan had stopped dead at the head of the stairs, her eyes narrowed in an angry expression that was reserved special for Akko.

"Returning to the scene of your crime, are you?" she snarled. "Come to confess – "

"We ain't confessing to nothing," said Amanda. "We were just having a look around, looking for clues – "

"A likely story!" Professor Finnelan said, striding toward them and starting to bustle them along, flapping her arms. "I might not have any proof that it was you, but I know it was! You may have the headmistress fooled, but not me! Why else would you come back here while everyone's at dinner – ?"

"And why shouldn't we be here?" said Akko hotly, stopping short and glaring at Finnelan. "We're trying to prove our innocence. Okay, so maybe we burned Lightning a little, but that was purely self-defense – "

"So you said before," said Professor Finnelan fiercely, "but I'm still holding out for hard evidence, and when I find it, I promise you won't get out of being expelled this time, Atsuko Kagari. Truth be told, some part of me does hope you are telling the truth, but only for Diana's sake. She clearly cares for you, for whatever reason that may be. She always looks so worried now – "

"You mean you only care about your reputation," said Akko, whose ears were now reddening. "You were pinning your hopes on Diana making you look good last year, but Professor Holbrooke chose me instead – "

"Five points from Polaris!" Professor Finnelan said tersely. "And I hope it teaches you a lesson! No more _detective work_ or I will be writing to your mother again!"

As she strode off, the back of her neck as red as Akko's ears.

* * *

Akko and the others sat at their usual table in the back of the common room away from the rest of the Polaris students. Akko was still in a very bad temper and kept blotting her Charms homework. When she reached absently for her wand to remove the smudges, it ignited the paper. Fuming almost as much as her homework, Akko slammed _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2_ shut. To everyone's surprise, Lotte followed suit.

"Who can it be, though?" she said in a quiet voice, as though continuing a conversation they had just been having. "If there is a Purifier somewhere hidden in the school, who would be bold enough to infect such a well-known student like Lightning Farron?"

Constanze started making a series of hand gestures and everyone turned to Amanda, being the only one who could interpret what the silent witch was saying.

"Constanze says she might have an idea," answered Amanda, "but she thinks you're not gonna like it."

"Who cares as long as it proves we're innocent," said Akko aggressively. "Who is it?"

Looking somewhat downcast, Constanze waved her wand and commanded Stan-Bot to jump on the table. The sentient machine marched toward the middle before folding itself into a wide tablet. Constanze tapped the screen with her wand and a video popped up. Everyone leaned in for a better look. It was the recording Constanze had taken during Akko's first Chariot Race practice, replaying the moment when Diana bit Lightning's hand.

Akko tilted her head, confused. Why was Constanze showing them…? Realization suddenly swept over her as Akko slammed her fist on the table, making Constanze shrink back.

"Uh-uh, no way!" said Akko outrageously. "If you're saying that Diana - !"

"Well, it does kind of make sense," said Sucy placidly. "The captain of the Chariot Race team was bitten by one of their players and then one night she turned up zombified. It kinda looks like – "

"Like what? That Diana is a Purifier?" Akko snapped. "Do you know how crazy that sounds? Not to mention stupid? Diana comes from a magical family that dates back to the Nine Olde Witches. She's always been so proud of her family name. So do you really think Diana would just suddenly turn around and start zombifying Demi-Humans?"

"It's just one piece of evidence – we haven't proven anything," said Lotte calmly, gently resting her hand on top of Akko's. "But you have to admit that it is a strange coincidence. We can't overlook the possibility that Diana might be involved."

"Well, I don't buy it," said Akko, crossing her arms in a huff. "I wanna hear it from Diana herself."

"If she is involved, do you really think she's gonna tell you," said Amanda. "Last time I checked, she was still pissed at you for keeping that Star-Born Child thing a secret from her."

"Then how are we gonna prove it?" asked Jasminka.

"There might be a way," said Sucy slowly, leering her one eye around the room as if checking to see if anyone was eavesdropping. "Of course, it would be extremely difficult. And dangerous, very dangerous. Not to mention we'd be breaking over a hundred school rules – "

"Are you trying to convince us to back out of this plan?" asked Amanda. "Because if you are, you're doing a terrible job at it."

"I thought you might like it," said Sucy, grinning. "All we have to do is sneak into the Lunar House common room and force Diana to tell us the truth without her ever realizing what we're up to."

"Okay, so that means you have a potion that turns us into ghosts, then?" said Akko.

"No, but we got something like it," said Sucy. "Akko still has her mother's invisibility ring. She can use that to slip inside the common room unnoticed."

"Yeah, but that doesn't clear up the problem of how we're supposed to get inside the common room in the first place," said Amanda.

"We could ask Hannah for help," Lotte suggested.

"Hannah? Are you serious?" Amanda scoffed.

"Yes, because she cares about Diana more than anything in the world," answered Lotte. "If we present her with the evidence we already have, then she'll gladly help us if it means clearing Diana's name."

"Okay, so we might have a way of getting inside the common room," said Akko. "But that still doesn't explain how we're going to force the truth out of Diana without her knowing it."

"That's another thing," said Sucy. "In order to get the best results, we would have to use Golden Perfect."

"And…we're supposed to know what that is?" said Akko.

"You know that supermodel with the shiny rope that makes people tell the truth – the one that just had a movie recently?" said Sucy. "It's basically the same thing. Proferssor Hex talked about it in class weeks ago – "

"Sucy, you're the only one who cares enough to listen to what Hex has to say – that guy is just plain creepy," said Amanda.

"Yeah," said Sucy with a dreamy sigh. "But anyway, if we can just whip up some liquid Golden Perfect, we could slip it into Diana's tea or something and she'll be telling us the truth in seconds."

"That Golden Perfect stuff sounds a little risky," said Lotte, frowning. "What if it makes Diana tell the truth forever. I know there are some personal secrets that Diana wouldn't want to tell people, like she's secretly a fan of Shiny Chariot."

"Fine, I'll only whip us a batch that will last for ten minutes," said Sucy, groaning like she had her favorite toy taken away from her. "But another thing we have to worry about is getting the recipe. Professor Hex said it was in a book called the Archamada Book of Spells and that's bound to be in the Reference Archives of the library."

There was only one way to get a book from the Reference Achieves: You needed a signed note of permission from a teacher.

"Hard to see why we'd want the book, really," said Jasminka, "if we were not going to try using one of the spells in it."

"I think," said Lotte, "that if we made it sound as though we were just interested in the theory, we might stand a chance…."

"Oh, come on, no teacher's gonna fall for that," said Akko. "What kind of uncaring, unfeeling, irresponsible teacher would hand out a note to a group of publicly known troublemakers…?"

* * *

 **As I said before, major information dump. We get the full history behind the Purifier's backstory and their reason for attacking school along with the history of the Nine Olde Witches and how Luna Nova came to exist. I hope most of you were paying attention to the names, because a certain few of them will be popping up later on. And of course everyone is going to be suspicious of Diana. If the virus is anything similar to the world-famous Raccoon City incident, people are going to start connecting the bite with Lightning's sudden change. And Akko, be the kind-hearted girl she is (and having a not-so subtle crush on Diana), will do everything to clear her name.**

 **Next Chapter: When Tiny Ninjas Attack**


	10. Attack of the Little Ninja

**Akko Kagari and the Evil Within**

 **Chapter** **Ten: Attack of the Little Ninja**

Since the disastrous episode of the first lesson, no one dared to speak out of turn in Annabel Crème's class. And since then, Annabel Crème was warned not to bring any more dangerous books to classes below fourth year, which made the tiny author scoff, but conceded nonetheless. Nowadays, Annabel Crème has them reciting passages from her books, indicating which ones were magically influenced and how they were subconsciously affecting the reader. Akko learned very early on why Annabel Crème was so wildly popular; she started reading vol. 360 and suddenly couldn't put the book down until Sucy managed to pry it from her hands with a crowbar. Night Fall, they learned, was enhanced with an addiction spell that made it impossible to stop reading until the victim had finished the book; a very clever marketing tactic, Akko admitted.

Sometimes Annabel Crème would have them come up to the front of the class and reconstruct certain scenes, then quizzed the class about it. Akko had been called up during their next Magical Literature class to play the scene of the main character Belle as she discovered the Elixir of Eternal Life. She never liked being called up where everyone could judge her, but Akko needed to get on Annabel Crème's good side if their plan was going to work.

" – the Elixir of Eternal Life would very tempting," said Annabel Crème, pacing back and forth waving her hands dramatically. "What mortal man wouldn't want to live forever. The answer: those who don't know consequences of eternity. Imagine, if you will, watching the world change around you while remaining the same throughout. Everything you knew and loved, gone, vanishing before your eyes. This is an example of why mortality is so precious, because our time on this world is limited. Edgar makes repeated mentions of this in previous volumes of the curse of vampirism and consequence of immortality. Now Belle, who promised to always be by Edgar's side, feels the temptation of taking the Elixir to keep her vow, but is conflicted of how her choice might affect herself and their relationship. A classic example – "

But before she could finish, the bell rang and Annabel Crème sighed at the interruption.

"All right, homework – write a two-page essay on an argument for mortality vs. immortality, providing both the benefits and consequences to support your argument. And yes, Miss England, I still expect you to turn in your last essay – it's a week overdue."

The class began to leave. Akko returned to her seat where Lotte and Sucy were waiting.

"Ready?" Akko muttered.

"Wait till everyone's gone," said Lotte nervously. "All right…"

She approached Annabel Crème's desk, a piece of paper clutched tightly in her hand, Akko and Sucy right behind her.

"Er – Professor Crème?" Lotte stammered. "I wanted to – to get this book out of the library for background reading." She held out the piece of paper, her hand shaking slightly. "But the thing is, it's in the Reference Archives of the library, so I need a teacher to sign for it – I'm sure it would help me understand what Belle was talking about in the New Orleans Bayou scene – "

"You mean the one where Belle and Count Rathen dived into the Well of the Man-Thing to find the solution to soil fertility?" said Annabel Crème, looking up at Lotte in surprise. "But that wasn't mentioned in any of the assigned books. That's from – "

"Vol. 192," said Lotte eagerly. "And when they discovered that the Man-Thing had sold the well to the Swamp Thing and using it to seed the Fruits of Eris was one of the most interesting things I had ever read."

"And then Count Rathen revealed that he had tricked Belle in leading him to the golden apples so that he could sell them to the wicked goblin clan," said Annabel Crème, looking excited for a change. "I always had my suspicions that Count Rathen was the bad guy ever since he 'accidentally' let the Wandering Willow escape in Vol. 188."

"But wouldn't you have already known that?" said Sucy. "You wrote the book after all."

"I – you know what, never mind," said Annabel Crème, returning to her stoic expression. "Anyway, I sincerely doubt that you would need to look through the Reference Achieves to find out about the soil fertility solution when you could just as easily ask Professor Cosmos…. But in all honesty, I don't care enough to think about it and I know you'll just pester me until I sign it, so…."

She raised her fountain pen and scrawled a quick signature in the blink of an eye with practiced hand before returning the slip to Lotte.

"So, Miss Kagari," said Annabel Crème, while Lotte folded the note with fumbling fingers and slipped it into her bag. "Tomorrow's the first Chariot Race of the season, I believe. I must admit that I've never been fond of Chariot Racing myself, but I heard from Professor Kiki that you've tamed a wild broom and are an excellent racer. I might consider checking out the game myself. Perhaps I will be able to draw some inspiration from watching you play. But I heard that the Lunar House is having some difficulty ever since their captain was attacked. Do you think they'll be all right enough to compete?"

"Well, Diana's taking charge, so I get the feeling they'll be even more prepared than usual," answered Akko.

"Ah, that's good," said Annabel Crème. "A race just wouldn't be half as good if the opponents weren't playing their best. Now run along. I need to make a call to my publisher…."

Akko quickly hurried out of the room with Lotte and Sucy.

"I can't believe she actually signed it," she said as the three of them examined the signature on the note. "I always knew my bad reputation would come in handy."

"Didn't she seem a little weird in there," said Sucy. "The way she was talking about one of the old books, she made it sound like she didn't know what was going to happen even though she's the one who wrote it."

"Professor Crème has written over three hundred books," said Lotte defensively as they half ran toward the library. "So she might forget a little – "

"That's another thing, too," Sucy cut in. "Those books are over a hundred and twelve years old, but she doesn't look older than twelve. How could she have written all those books."

"I…have no idea…," Lotte answered honestly.

They dropped the conversation as they entered the muffled stillness of the library. Professor Badcock, the librarian, was a short, irritable woman looked like an underfed vulture.

"The Archamada Book of Spells?" she repeated suspiciously, trying to take the note from Lotte, but Lotte wouldn't let go.

"I was wondering if I could keep it," she said breathlessly.

"Oh, come on," Akko groaned, wrenching it from her grasp and thrusting it at Professor Badcock. "We'll get you another autograph. You two geek out about Night Fall over dinner if you want. This is more important."

Professor Badcock held the note up to the light, as though determined to detect a forgery, but it passed the test. She stalked away between the lofty shelves and returned several minutes later carrying a large and evil-looking book. Sucy put it carefully into her bag and they left, trying not to walk too quickly or look too guilty.

Ten minutes later, they climbed up to the Polaris dormitory where Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka were waiting for them. They did a quick inspection of their room to make sure that Blair wasn't spying on them, knowing that she would no doubt report to Ursula or Croix, but thankfully the witch cat didn't seem to be present at the moment.

Sucy opened the Archamada Book of Spells, and the six of them bent over the yellowing pages. It was clear from a glance why it belonged in the Reference Archives. Some of the spells had effects almost too gruesome to think about, and there were some unpleasant illustrations, which included a man who seemed to have his organs pulled through his mouth and kept pulling until he was inside out.

"Here it is," said Sucy excitedly as she found the page headed _The Golden Perfect_ and scanned the recipe. "Hmm, this is probably the most complicated potion I've ever seen. Cockatrice feathers, basilisk fangs, and Manticore stings," she murmured, running her finger down the list of ingredients. "Eh, shouldn't be too difficult. _Ina_ has a whole storehouse of ingredients like these. She'll send them to be, no questions asked – though getting them through customs might be difficult….Oooh, look, powdered horn of unicorn – that's extremely rare – definitely don't have that around the house – scales from a newly hatched dragon – damn you for not letting me pluck Eco, Blair – and of course a bit of the person we're going to use it on."

"Excuse me?" said Amanda sharply. "What d'you mean, a bit of the person we're going to use it on? I thought you just had to slip it in her tea of something."

"If the Golden Perfect is used in a solid form, we could avoid this step," said Sucy. "Unfortunately, we're using it as a liquid, so it's a lot more unstable and needs a catalyst to work properly. If Hannah agrees to work with us, that part shouldn't be too difficult…."

Lotte turned, speechless, to Akko.

"Do you realize how much we're going to have to steal to make this work? Scales of a newly hatched dragon, that's definitely not something we're going to be able to get out hands out without breaking the law. Remember how close we were to getting expelled last year? I don't know if this is a good idea…."

"Lotte, we don't have a choice," said Akko, getting right up in Lotte's face to make her fall back a little. "There's a mind controlling zombie virus possibly roaming around the school and it isn't going to take people long before they start making the connection between Diana and Lightning. This is about as much clearing her name as it is finding out whose responsible. I know we're not exactly friends right now, but she's a fan of Shiny Chariot, which makes her my comrade. And besides, this isn't the first time we've broken the rules – the teachers almost expect it on a daily basis. So what's the point of chickening out now?"

"Eh, you know we're just get blamed for something," said Amanda casually. "At least this time we'll know what it is."

"How long does it take to make, anyway?" Lotte asked Sucy.

"Hmm, it'll take a couple days for _Ina_ to send the initial supplies. Then we need to get the powdered unicorn horn, which would be better fresh, so at least a week of hunting in the Arcturus Forest. As for the baby dragon scales, we could ask Amanda's hippie sister in the Lautreamont Knight Kingdom, but that would take a long time as well since they would have to go through the border without being detected. Put all of these together…I'd say it'd be ready in about a month."

"A month?" said Akko. "The real criminal could have attacked half the students in the school by then!" But Sucy's eye narrowed dangerously, and she added swiftly, "But it's the best plan we've got, so full steam ahead, I say. What's the worst thing that could happen?"

"We could all be expelled or arrested," Jasminka piped in.

"Eh, prison food isn't as bad as they say it is," said Amanda, attracting everyone's stares. "…I'm assuming."

* * *

Akko woke early on Saturday morning and lay for a while thinking about the coming Chariot Race. She was nervous, mainly at the thought of what Amelia would say if Polaris lost, but also at the idea of facing Diana on the track, knowing fully that she was a much better rider than her. For the first time ever, Akko didn't want to race. After an hour of lying there with her insides churning, she got up, dressed, and went down to breakfast early, where she found her teammates huddle together around an empty table in the corner while the other house teams sat silently away from, each other. Akko noticed as she sat down between Rajani and Rashmi that Bayonette, the Eclipse team anchor, looked like she was about to vomit and kept glancing at Diana. She was just as nervous as Akko.

As eleven o'clock approached, the whole school started to make its way down to the racing track. It was a muggy sort of day with a hint of thunder in the air. Lotte and her friends came hurrying over to wish Akko good luck as she entered the locker room. The team pulled on their bright-red uniforms, then sat down to listen to Amelia's usual pre-match pep talk.

"All right, there's no point trying to deny it," she began, "we're all worried about Diana Cavendish. She has a reputation of being the best witch in Luna Nova since the Great Witch Jennifer and she has the skill to back that claim up. But she is just _one_ great player. We have five. We've trained harder than anyone, we've been flying in all weathers – " ("Too true," muttered Avery. "I haven't been dry since August") " – and we're going to make them rue the day they underestimated Polaris."

Chest heaving with emotion, Amelia turned to Akko.

"It'll be down to you, Akko, to show them what a real racer is capable of. We're going to employ the same tactics that we've always done: the first four racers will focus on the points and you just need to prioritize on finishing first. Cross the finish line before Cavendish or die trying, Akko, because we've got to win today, we've got to."

"So no pressure, Akko," said Rajani, winking at her.

As they walked out onto the track, a roar of noise greeted them; a fine line between cheers and boos mostly, because while Akko had gained a huge following in Chariot Racing, Diana was quite popular in and out of Luna Nova. Speaking of whom, Diana was waiting for her turn on the sidelines in the Lunar team's light-blue uniform (Twilight was wearing dusty-yellow, Corona in soft orange, and Eclipse in deep purple). Professor Kiki, the flying teacher, stood on the side of the track as the first five racers took their positions.

"Is everyone ready?" called Professor Kiki. "Open the track!"

Professor Kiki snapped her fingers, the metal poles flashed their warning sirens, and the transparent screen appeared in the middle of the field. One of the most exciting aspects of Chariot Racing was that the field was always randomized, so you needed to prepare for every scenario possible. The randomizer stopped on "Lava". A flow of molten rock flowed into the field, covering the entire surface in bubbling magma; the heat from the lava combined with the weather's humidity made Akko feel sticky and uncomfortable. White lines formed on the surface of the magma, showing where the track was.

"On my whistle," said Professor Kiki. "Three…two…one…"

With a roar from the crowd to speed them along, the starting racers shot down the track like cannonballs.

Twilight and Eclipse immediately shot out in front of the pack, leaving Amelia shaken somewhere in the middle until a spell shot from Lunar's racer hit her in the back, nearly unbalancing her and giving the first points of the match. As Amelia straightened herself out and pushed forward to catch up with the rest of the racers, a geyser of hot lava exploded near the leaders; Twilight and Eclipse quickly pulled back and came to a temporary stop, leaving them wide open for Corona to shoot them in the back and take the lead. Meanwhile, Amelia was hanging back in last place, knowing she wouldn't have the momentum to catch up with the others and decided to focus on looking for secret rings or hidden targets, which were worth extra points. Amelia noticed a glint between the boulders and swooped down to grab it when Lunar suddenly swooped in and snatched it up at the last second.

The Lunar house cheered as an extra hundred points was added to their total while the Polaris groaned.

"Lunar is doing this on purpose," Rashmi told Akko. "They must have figured out our strategy and are trying to intercept us so that you'll be in a bad position when it's your turn."

"That means they're worried about Akko so they're trying to take us down in numbers," hummed Avery. "I'll bet you anything it was Cavendish who thought this up."

The next set of racers started to line up as their teammates came around the bend; the lava zone disappeared like it had been sucked down a drain and the randomizer reappear in the middle of the track. Corona was the first to pass their rings off to the next player with Eclipse and Twilight only a step behind. Amelia was coming up from behind with the Lunar house player sticking to her like a leech. Rajani stretched out her hand to take Amelia's one ring when her captain shouted:

"Rajani! Operation: Make-or-Break!"

Rajani nodded in understanding as she snatched up the ring and slipped it on her arm, but she didn't take off right away. She waited until the Lunar players had finished passing off their rings before Rajani spun around and whipped out her wand, shooting a spell directly in the Lunar racer's face. Her opponent flailed and fell sideways off her broom, hitting the ground with a heavy thud and dropping half the rings she had just received. There was a tidal wave of moans and jeers from the Lunar house as their points took a massive drop from the multiple penalties while the Polaris house were beside themselves celebrating. Once her work was done, Maria flipped back around and rocketed down the track while the Lunar house picked themselves up.

The course had shifted to the "Tornado" track where players had to duck around swirling vortexes of destructive winds while weaving through flying debris and falling Kansas houses (the mortal enemy of all witches). Rajani managed to catch up to the Corona and Twilight teams, who were being held hostage by the hurricanes, but the Eclipse team was slipping through the zone without trouble; they seemed to have figured the direction of each tornado and were riding along the wind. Taking advantage of the chaos, Rajani shot both Corona and Twilight players that knocked them both off course, sending them flying in the opposite direction. She saw the Lunar player starting to come up from behind, but they were keeping a considerable distance this time, not wanting a repeat of before.

By the time everyone exited the "Tornado" track, Eclipse was pulling ahead in first by a considerable distance with Polaris coming up in second place and Lunar, Corona, and Twilight fighting for third. No one had collected any rings or targets in all the confusion, so the only team to gain points during the lap was Polaris. But as Akko looked up at the scoreboard, they were still trailing behind by four hundred and fifty points; not enough for Akko to win the game.

Rajani passed the ring off to Rasmi just as the course shifted to the "Snowstorm track". A powerful blizzard blew in and covered the entire track in white powder, obscuring their vision. This managed to work in Polaris's favor as Rasmi, learning from her mistake with the "Mist" track last year, waved her wand out in front of her and created a small. transparent window that allowed her to see through the storm. She quickly overtook Eclipse's third racer and pulled off an expert dive, snatching up two rings at the same time to give Polaris a major boost. Unfortunately, Corona and Lunar both had similar ideas and created small windows like Rashmi, catching up to her within seconds. The Corona racer shot a spell at Rashmi, but she pulled back at the last second to dodge the spark of light and gave the Lunar team a chance to pull ahead and take out three targets she failed to notice.

It was pure madness, thought Akko. The Lunar team had never been this good last year. Diana must have personally trained each one of them.

"Okay, this may look bad now, but we still got a shot," Amelia said, coming up behind Akko and Avery. "Buckland, you have to focus on getting as many points as possible. If you can close the gap so that it's under three hundred, Akko and swoop in and end this."

"But the Lunar team is probably already expecting that," said Avery. "You saw what they did in the first lap."

"Then you have to play aggressive," said Amelia, anxiously. "We've worked too hard to let all that practice go to waste. Akko, if we can get the points, can you finish the match?"

"Diana is good at flying, but I think Shooting Star might be a little faster," said Akko.

"That's all we can hope for at this point," said Amelia, frowning and shaking her head; the nerves were getting to her.

The racers were coming around the corner with Lunar leading the group followed closely behind by Rashmi and Corona. As the Lunar team was getting close to passing on to the next player, Rashmi took a desperate gamble and threw the rings over the leader's head. Avery had to juggle so as to not lose a single ring, but she managed it and took off down the track with only a few seconds to spare before the Lunar started giving chase.

The randomizer landed on the "Jungle" track and an entire rain forest sprouted up like weeds. The jungle was so thick with trees, vines, and other plant life that no one could see from the outside and holographic projectors popped into existence in the middle of the track with a different camera view of each player. Avery was normally the best at dodging, but the anxiety of collecting points drove her to barrel through the forest like a bullet, casting a small protective shield around herself. It was an unorthodox method, but is was proving to be more efficient than the others, who were either forced to slow down and go around the obstacles or ended up tangled in the thick vines.

Avery was three-fourths of the way around the track, having collected two rings and two targets to close the gap on the leader board and was about to breach the end when a blue blur suddenly whizzed past her. It was the Lunar racer; she had been riding along Avery's slipstream the entire time. Avery put on an extra burst of speed as they both exited the track. Akko and Diana took their positions at the line waiting for their teammates to make the pass.

"Good luck to you," Diana said courteously to Akko.

"Thanks," Akko nodded; at least she was being nice. "You too."

"Oh, believe me, I won't need it," said Diana confidently with a sweep of her golden hair.

Some things never change, Akko thought.

Avery and the Lunar player were racing neck and neck as they came down the final stretch. They reached out their arms as far as they could allow, holding the rings out for their teammates, and made a successful pass. Akko and Diana twisted around and took off at the same time as the randomizer flickered and landed on the "Castle" track. The jungle evaporated into smoke and long stretch of brick walls and towering turrets materialized from nothingness. Akko and Diana charged through the massive mahogany front doors, making them slam against the walls, and sped down a massively long hallway filled with an unnecessarily long stretch of red carpet and rows of suits of armor.

"This is the moment we've all been waiting for!" the racing commentator, Wangari, screamed over the loudspeakers. "The epic showdown between Luna Nova's greatest rivals: The Underdog Akko Kagari and the Genius Diana Cavendish! The castle track is a simple course with no obstacles, so it all comes down to speed and ingenuity! The perfect field to decide who truly is the best Chariot Racer in Luna Nova!"

Akko could barely hear the commentary; the walls muffled any noise from the outside and the rain was pounding heavily against the high windows. She pressed herself flat against Shooting Star trying to prevent as much wind resistance as her body could allow while Diana did the same thing directly to her left. Neither of them had whipped out their wands, so it was an unspoken agreement that this match would be decided by skill. Akko could feel the Shooting Star vibrating underneath her as it pushed for another boost of speed, but Diana was doing an impressive job of keeping up. The Shooting Star's arrowhead turned to her, almost looking like it was glaring at Diana. The Shooting Star went even faster – Akko was clinging to the broom for dear life – and Diana was bent so low over her broom that they may as well have been merged. Akko could hear the clatter of armors behind them; the aftershock of their passing must have knocked them over.

They were approaching the three-fourth mark of the track and they could see the mahogany backdoor. The both of them charged straight at the door…and suddenly fell backwards off their brooms, hitting the stone floor hard. Akko pushed up to her knees, tears threatening to spill over as a feeling of warmth trickled down her nose and dribbled off her chin; her nose was busted up pretty bad. She turned towards Diana, finding her cringing in pain while holding her right shoulder.

"Hey, that wasn't supposed to happen!" Wangari's muffled voice echoed through the walls. "That backdoors of the Castle track don't seem to be letting Akko and Diana out and…now that I'm looking at it, none of the other racers have been able to get in through the front. Hey, is there something – AND WHO THE HELL IS THAT?"

Wangari's screams came in a lot clearer as Akko flipped around in time to see someone leaping out from the shadows, their form small yet imposing.

It was the nameless ninja girl from Japan. Akko couldn't believe it. Was she actually bold enough to attack with all the teacher's watching?

The Shooting Star hopped up when sensing its partner was in danger and shot towards the little ninja like an arrow. The small girl bent backwards in midair, narrowly avoiding the broom's tip, then reached for her belt to pull out a length of chain. She looped the shackle around Shooting Star's body at least a dozen time before throwing the pointed end at the wall, burying it in the brick. The little ninja deftly landed on her feet like a cat; the Shooting Star tried to stab her where she stood, but the chain kept the broom bound to the wall, just a few inches short of its target.

" _ **Murowa!**_ "

Diana stood up and raised her wand with her remaining arm, firing a wild shot of green energy. The little ninja effortlessly spun sideways out of its path and reached into her pocket again, whipping a single throwing star across the room without even having to aim. The ninja tool glided around the room and curved around until it stabbed the back of Diana's good hand. Diana cried out, her wand clattering on the floor with droplets of blood covering the handle. She staggered until her back was against the wall, slumping down the wall as her head lowered so that her face was obscured by her long hair and her shoulders started to shake. She was crying.

A white-hot anger boiled in Akko's gut. She wiped her bloody nose with her sleeve and pulled out the Shiny Rod from her side.

" _ **Noctu Orfei –**_ "

Unfortunately, her spell was too slow. The little ninja crossed the room in a blink of an eye and quickly disarmed Akko, throwing the Shiny Rod on the floor while holding Akko in a armbar. When Akko attempted to struggle, the ninja girl punched her fist into Akko's elbow as hard as she could, successfully snapping the bone and bending her arm backwards in a way it shouldn't. She fell forward on the cold, hard floor; riddled with pain, she heard, as though from a distance, a good deal of shouting and banging. She saw the little ninja turn around, her vision going in and out of focus...

"You should have stayed away," her voice sounded miles away. "You'll be leaving Luna Nova – one way or another."

And she fainted.

She came around, rain falling on her face, laying on her back on what she realized was the empty track, with someone leaning over her. She saw a waterfall of gold.

"Oh, no, haven't I been punished enough already?" she moaned.

"Well, I see your crude personality remains intact," said Annabel Crème waving a hand around the anxious students pressing in on them. "All right, all right, stay back, give her some room."

She tried to sit up, but the pain was terrible. She heard a familiar meek voice slipping through the crowd.

"Is Akko-senpai going to be okay, professor?"

"Believe me, I've handled worse than this," said Akko, grimacing. "What happened? Who won the race?"

"Nobody did," said a disheartened Amelia, looking more saddened about the outcome of the match than her injured anchor. "After that tiny ninja attacked, the teachers quickly called off the match and had to break down the door to get you and Diana out. She vanished before any of the teachers could grab her."

Through the thicket of legs around her, Akko spotted a large crowd surrounding Diana as the school security trolls gently placed her on a stretcher. She appeared to be unconscious.

"If you're worried about Miss Cavendish, she'll be just fine," said Annabel Crème. "She has a bruised shoulder and a few cuts, but Porlyusica will mend her up quickly. You, on the other hand, need much more immediate treatment. Despite what you might think, magic can't just heal all wounds in seconds. With an injury as severe as yours, it will take your arm weeks to heal if we don't realign the bones right away."

Akko had almost forgotten. Feeling a sense of dread wash over her, Akko peeked down at her right and saw that it was, indeed, bending in the complete opposite direction on where it should from the elbow down. Though for some reason, it wasn't hurting as much; the most she felt was a dull throb racing up and down her arm.

"Your friend Miss Manbavaran dosed you with some painkillers to stem the pain," said Annabel Crème. She grabbed a towel that Rashmi was holding, folded it, and held it up to Akko's face. "We'll need to set the bones properly before we can send you up to the hospital wing or else it will just get worse. Don't worry, I've studied field medicine as reference material for one of my books. But I warn you, it's going to be very painful. You might want to bite down on this."

Akko frowned and groaned, but nonetheless placed the towel in her mouth and bit down really hard. Annabel Crème bended forward, grasp her disjointed elbow with one hand and her wrist with the other.

"Okay, on the count of three," said Annabel Crème. "One…two…"

Akko braced herself when Annabel Crème reached three and felt a sharp jolt race up her arm and down her spine; her screams muffled by the towel she threatened to tear apart with her teeth. The crowd turned their heads away from the scene and a few even covered their ears as a sharp _crack_ echoed through the empty track; Lotte looked like she was prepared to vomit. Annabel Crème brought Akko's arm around and bended it closer to her chest before she pulled out her fountain pen and wrote the word "Cloth" in the air. The words transformed into plain bandaging cloth, which Annabel Crème snatched out of the air and used to bind Akko's arm and loop it around her neck.

"That's should be enough until she gets up to the hospital wing," said Annabel Crème. "Miss Jansson, Miss Manbavaran, would you escort her up to the school? I need to attend a teacher's meeting to discuss what happened today."

Lotte and Sucy helped Akko struggle to her feet, nearly falling over but her friends thankfully caught her. They hobbled up to the castle together, keeping a look out for tiny ninjas.

* * *

Porlyusica was known to never enjoy company, and she especially hated repeating patients.

"This better not become a habit, Kagari!" she raged, holding up Akko's broken arm without any bedside courtesy or gentleness. "First it was magic exhaustion last year and now broken bones this one. I'm finding it difficult why I should even bother helping a troublesome girl like you."

"Uh, because it's your job," said Akko rudely.

"Hmph," Porlyusica huffed, not at all taken by Akko's tone. "You might think that magic can just heal injuries at the flick of a wand, but they can't – it's impractical, not to mention damaging to the body. It takes time along with the proper tools and medicine."

"But you'll be able to fix me, right?" asked Akko worriedly.

"Well, thanks to Miss Crème, the difficult part is out of the way," said Porlyusica grimly. "At least there's one competent teacher on staff. Here, put these on; you'll have to stay the night."

She tossed Akko a pair of pajamas. She disappeared through the curtain drawn around Akko's bed while Lotte and Sucy helped her into her pajamas. It took longer than it should, requiring to be attentive of Akko's arm.

"It was a good thing Professor Crème was there," said Lotte as she pulled Akko's bandaged fingers through the cuff. "Like Porlyusica said, it could have been a whole lot worse without her."

"She sure knows a lot of things for her books," said Akko, sounding very impressed with the teacher she once dreaded. "She's like a human library."

"Annabel Crème is known for being authentic in her books, even if it is a work of fiction," said Lotte. "She studies all subjects from various angles so they can come across better in her books. It's really admirable."

As Akko swung herself onto the bed, Porlyusica came around the curtain holding a large bottle of something labeled Osteo-Peroxide.

"You're in for a rough couple of days," she said, pouring out a steaming cupful and handing it to her. "As a demi-human, your body naturally heals faster than normal humans. This will help accelerate the healing process, focusing on the fractured areas of the bones."

Akko downed the Osteo-Peroxide in one gulp and immediately regretted it. It burned Akko's mouth and throat as it went down, making her cough and splutter. Still tut-tuting about dangerous sports and inept student, Porlyusica retreated, leaving Sucy and Lotte to help Akko gulp down some water.

"So what was up with that tiny ninja?" asked Sucy.

"That was the girl that attacked me at home," said Akko darkly. "I told you about her, remember? She got me on probation with the Magic Council and nearly stopped me and Amanda from getting to school. I always thought she was the type that would stick to the shadows, but she must be getting desperate if she's willing to expose herself like that."

"Why does she want you out so badly, anyway?" asked Sucy.

"She said she was hired by someone to keep me away from Luna Nova while 'bad things were happening'," said Akko when a sudden realization washed over her. "Wait a minute…you don't think she knows what happened to Light – "

She was cut off by the door of the hospital wing bursting open at that moment. Filthy and soaking wet, the rest of the Polaris team had arrived with Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka leading them.

"A ninja! A freakin' ninja!" Amanda laughed out loud. "Things are never dull when you're around, Akko! It would have been so awesome if she hadn't been trying to kill you. We saw Diana on the way up; guess she got patched up real quick, huh? Lot of people are still debating who would have won, but you know my money's always on you."

They had brought cakes, sweets and (non-alcoholic) drinks; they gathered around Akko's bed and were just getting started on what promised to be a good party when Porlyusica came storming over, shouting, "This girl needs rest, she's got a long, painful night of fractured bones to heal! Out! OUT!"

And Akko was left alone, with nothing to distract her from the stabbing pains in her limp arm.

* * *

Hours and hours later, Akko woke quite suddenly in the pitch blackness and gave a yelp of pain: her arm now felt full of large splinters. For a second, she thought that was what had woken her up. Then, with a thrill of horror, she realized that someone was sponging her forehead in the dark.

"Get off!" she said loudly, and then, " _You!_ "

The little ninja clapped a hand over Akko's mouth to silence her and pushed her down to keep her from getting up. Akko flailed in her bed, wanting nothing more than to grab the ninja girl so that she could choke the life out of her. Unfortunately, he little ninja purposely placed herself on the side of Akko's injured arm, making it impossible to reach without hurting herself.

"I warned you repeatedly that you shouldn't have come back, Kagari-dono," she whispered with a menacing glare. "I threw everything I could without revealing myself, but you still found a way. Now you forced my hand and everyone knows I'm here. Why? Why didn't you just listen to me? Why didn't you just go home when you missed the train?"

Akko grabbed the ninja girl's wrist and pulled it away from her mouth.

"Thanks for that, by the way," she said spitefully. "Do you know how much trouble Amanda and I went through?"

"Not nearly as much as I had to," said the little ninja, ripping her hand away from Akko's grasp. "You think it was easy setting up that kind of barrier, Kagari-dono? I was never very proficient in that type of magic, so I had to go to thirteen different teachers before I could find the right one. Most of the scarring still hasn't gone away" – she pulled up her sleeve, showing a lot of bandage tape wrapped around her forearm – "but it was worth it to make sure you didn't get on that train. I thought you would have been safe after that, but then you surprised me and found another way around it."

She turned around and took a seat on the bed near Akko's feet.

"I was so shocked when I heard that Kagari-dono were back at Luna Nova that I accidentally poured tea all over my lord's paperwork. My lord was so furious - he punished me severely" - she leaned in close, show Akko her swollen left eye - "I was tempted to perform Seppuku had my master not intervened."

Akko sat up against her pillow and glared.

"You nearly got me and Amanda expelled," she said fiercely. "If it wasn't for my broken arm, I would pummel you right now."

"After that display earlier, I highly doubt it, Kagari-dono," said the little ninja with a small laugh.

"What was that about, anyway?" said Akko, anger rising even more. "Did you really think it was a good idea to attack me while all the teachers were watching. Everyone is already on edge after what happened to Lightning. So you going to explain why you tried to kill me and now you're trying to be friendly?"

"It was never my intention to kill you," said the little ninja calmly. "My purpose was only to injure you severely enough that the teachers would presume it to be a threat on your life and send you back home where you are protected by multiple barriers – oh, you didn't know about the barriers, did you?" she added to Akko's confused expression. "Yeah, they've been around since you were a baby, Kagari-dono. It wasn't easy slipping my way through. I figured that if the teachers saw someone visibly attack you, they would be afraid enough to send you back. Like you said, everyone is already on edge."

"Oh, is that all?" said Akko angrily. "I don't suppose you're going to tell me _why_ you wanted to send me home in the back of an ambulance, or ever worse, a hearse."

"Surely you must have suspected something by now," the little ninja groaned, leaning back against her arms and staring up at the ceiling. "You are the Star-Born Child, the mother of magic, the savior of our world, Kagari-dono. There was a time when everyone lived in fear of the Eclipse Queen. Can you imagine, living life afraid of an enemy that has no face or true name? You never know if the person standing next to you on the bus may in fact be the one you dread most. But then you were born, magic was freed, and life for Demi-Humans improved. You were a beacon of hope that brought fought a new, better world…. Unfortunately, not everyone feels that way. There are people – dangerous people – who would wish to see things return to the way things were before Demi-humans could wander free. And Luna Nova is their first target. Because it's Luna Nova that builds powerful Demi-Humans – "

"You're talking about the Purifiers," Akko hissed. "Do you know whose doing this? Someone attacked one of the students here."

"I know just about as much as you do at this point, Kagari-dono," said the little ninja. "The most my master ever told me was that the Purifiers were planning to attack Luna Nova, to cut off the Demi-Humans at their root. You can't be here for what's about to happen next. Your life is too important. Kagari-dono, for the last time, please go home. You can't go meddling in this; it's too dangerous – "

"Who is your employer?" Akko asked harshly, straining her voice. "How do they know what's going on? Are they involved in this? Tell me!"

"I can't, Kagari-dono," said the little ninja in a hollow sort of voice. "I cannot reveal my master's identity. All you need to know is that they have your best interest at heart – "

"Screw that!" said Akko fiercely. "I can't just leave when all of my friends are in danger! If the Purifiers really are attacking the school, then they'll probably be going after the oldest families here! That means Diana is – "

The little ninja slapped a hand over Akko's mouth once again and put one finger to her lips, silently telling her to be quiet. After a moment, Akko heard it, too. There were footsteps coming down the passageway outside.

"I have to go!" breathed the little ninja. With a soft _woosh_ , and the weight on Akko's bed lessened. Akko slumped back into bed, her eyes on the dark doorway to the hospital wing as the footsteps drew closer.

Next moment, Ursula was backing into the dormitory, wearing a dirty tracksuit with her hair down. She was carrying one end of what looked like a limp body. Croix appeared a second later, carrying the persons feet. Professor Holbrooke came in moments later as they slowly lowered the body on the floor, wands raised defensively.

"Get Porlyusica," Professor Holbrooke whispered, and Ursula hurried past the end of Akko's bed out of sight. Akko lay quite still, pretending to be asleep. She heard urgent voices, and then Ursula swept back into view, closely followed by Porlyusica, who was pulling on a coat over her nightdress. She heard a sharp intake of breath.

"What happened?" Porlyusica whispered to Professor Holbrooke, bending over the body on the floor.

"We need to place her in quarantine with Miss Farron," said Professor Holbrooke. "She's been infected. Professor Ursula found her wandering on the stairs and immobilized her."

"We think she was trying to sneak up here to visit Akko," said Ursula.

Akko's stomach gave a horrible lurch. Slowly and carefully, she raised herself a few inches so she could look at the girl lying helplessly on the floor. A ray of moonlight lay across her face.

It was Evie Winters. Her eyes were rolled into the back of her head, her mouth hanging open, and sickly-black veins were crawling all over her face.

"The same virus?" whispered Porlyusica.

"The very same," said Professor Holbrooke. "But I shudder to think…if Professor Ursula hadn't been on the way downstairs to the bathroom – who knows what might have happened."

"Croix," said Ursula, anxiously turning to her friend. "What does this all mean? Is it really – "

"There's no doubt about it anymore," said Croix gravely. "It means that the Purifiers have returned, and they're targeting Luna Nova Academy."

Ursula clapped a hand to her mouth. Professor Holbrooke stared at Croix.

"But, Croix…surely… _how_?"

"The question is not _how_ this virus reached our school," said Croix, her eyes on Evie, "but the question of _who_ could have released it, when all who knew about it are already dead…"

And from what Akko could see of Ursula's shadowy face, she didn't understand this any better than her.

* * *

 **Writing about Chariot Races are always an interesting experience since they go completely off the rails from the source material with a completely new set of rules and game mechanics. The ninja's blatant attack does seem rather unusual, but it's proof that she's getting more desperate to force Akko out of Luna Nova that she's not thinking entirely straight. And another attack, this time with Akko's little Kohai. Croix seems to know something, but isn't saying anything just yet, which may end up being as much of a mistake as shooting a missile monster.**

 **Next chapter: Dueling Club**


	11. The Dueling Club

**Akko Kagari and the Evil Within**

 **Chapter** **Eleven** **: The Dueling Club**

Akko woke up on Sunday morning to find the hospital wing blazing with winter sunlight and her elbow healed but very stiff. Akko sat up quickly and looked around for Evie, but it seemed she had already been moved to quarantine; where that is, Akko had no idea. Seeing that she was awake, Porlyusica came bustling over with a breakfast tray and then began bending and stretching her arm.

"Everything seems to be in order," she said as Akko clumsily fed herself porridge left-handed. "When you've finished eating, you may leave."

Akko dressed as quickly as she could and hurried off to Polaris Tower, desperate to tell everyone about Evie and her ninja visitor, but they weren't there. Akko left to look for them, wondering where they could have gotten to and feeling slightly hurt that they weren't interested in whether she had her bones fixed or not.

As Akko passed the library, Blair came strolling out of it, looking in very high spirits as she flipped through a book entitled " _How to Raise your Dragon_ " by Hiccup.

"Oh, hey there, Akko," she said. "Heard about what happened yesterday. Sorry I couldn't be there. I've been going off campus on weekends to visit Eco. She's just the cutest little thing – "

"You haven't seen Lotte or Sucy, have you?" Akko interrupted what could only be described as maternal babbling.

"Hmm, now that I think about it," Blair hummed, tapping her chin in thought. "I think I saw them heading to the southwest area of campus. But the only thing there is the New Moon Tower."

"The New Moon Tower?" Akko repeated curiously.

"Oh, these days they call it the Abandoned Tower," said Blair. "Back when I was in school, it was used as a research facility for magical study. Croix converted it into her own personal lab when she was in school with special permission from the headmistress."

"Croix has a secret lab on campus?" asked Akko.

"Not anymore," said Blair. "When Croix was expelled twenty years ago, she sealed it shut so that no one could get in; she had a lot of dangerous stuff inside there. I don't think she's ever gone back since she became a teacher. Maybe O'Neill thought they could break in and steal whatever tech is inside. Heh, like they could ever get past Croix's defenses."

Akko forced a laugh, watched Blair walk out of sight, and then ran downstairs through the front doors, across the lawn, and went straight to the tower on the southwest side of campus. How could she have not noticed it before? It was one the place where they held the famous Sorcerer's Stone. Akko came up to the massive stone doors etched with the Luna Nova emblem and had to shoulder her way inside when the door refused to budge. Inside the tower was a long, spiraling staircase that ascended to the top of a wide pillar with hundreds of stone statues standing in alcoves like watchful sentinels. Akko grimaced, wishing she had the foresight to bring Shooting Star with her so she didn't have to climb the whole way.

There must have been over a million steps – whoever built this tower was a sadist in Akko's mind – but she managed to make it to the top in good time. She spotted Sucy and Lotte standing over a large cauldron with a crackling fire underneath; Lotte was adding the next ingredient while Sucy stirred, cackling wickedly. Amanda and Constanze were near a massive steel door that looked like it belonged to a high-security vault, trying to break it open with a drill attachment on Stan-Bot, only for the drill to snap on the surface. Jasminka had been sitting on the edge of the pillar with a fresh bag of chips, being the only one to notice Akko when she reached the top step.

"Hey, Akko, how's your arm?" she asked politely.

There was a clunk, a splash, and a gasp as the rest of their little group spun around, finally taking noticing of Akko's arrival. Lotte was the only one that ran up to Akko while Sucy remained stirring and Amanda and Constanze were trying to hide their attempts at breaking into Croix's lab.

" _Akko!_ " Lotte gasped. "You had us so worried! Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," said Akko calmly. "What are you all doing here, besides trying to break into private property." She directed that comment toward Amanda.

"We thought about coming to meet you, but _Ina's_ package arrived this morning and we thought we'd get a head start on the Golden Perfect," Sucy explained. "We thought this would be the best place to hide it because no one comes here. Amanda and Constanze have been trying to break through that security door for the last hour."

"I don't think you're gonna get anywhere with that," said Akko. "That's Professor Croix's old lab and she locked it up so tight that no one could break in. Anyway, listen, you'll never believe what happened last night – "

"We already know," Lotte interrupted her. "We heard Professor Ursula telling Professor Finnelan this morning. That's why we decided we'd better get going – "

"The sooner we get a confession out of Diana, the better," said Amanda. "D'you know what I think? She was in such a bad mood about what happened during the race that she took it out on poor Evie."

"Diana tried to save me during that match!" said Akko fiercely. "Diana is innocent until proven guilty!"

"You're only saying that because you have a huge crush on her," Amanda retorted.

"I – wha – uh – I have no idea what you're talking about!" Akko sputtered, her face feeling very hot. "A-and besides that, there's something else. That ninja girl came to visit me in the middle of the night."

Everyone looked at her, amazed. Akko told them everything the little ninja had told her – or hadn't told her.

"So the Purifiers _are_ the ones behind this," said Lotte, "and now they're targeting the school to eliminate the next generation of Demi-Humans."

"It certainly sounds like Professor Croix knows more than she's letting on," said Amanda, translating for Constanze's silent language. "She said that the people who knew about this virus are already dead, so that means she knew about what's causing this disease and who used it before. If she knows so much about this virus, then why hasn't she done anything to stop it? Wait a sec…you don't think Professor Croix and Diana are working together on this, do you?"

"Remember last year when we though Croix was the bad guy trying to take the Shiny Rod," Jasminka jumped in defensively. "But all along, she was trying to keep Akko safe. I'm sure that Professor Croix is doing everything she can to figure this out."

"This is so confusing," said Lotte with a heavy sigh. "The more we look into this, the less we understand. It's just like our first year all over again."

"Only this time we have crazy midget ninjas instead of mind-controlled minotaurs," said Sucy sarcastically. "That little girl is the one that stopped Akko and Amanda from getting on the train and the one that broke Akko's arm. You know what, Akko? If she doesn't stop trying to save your life, she might end up killing you."

* * *

The news that Evie Winters had been infected and was now kept under lock and key in quarantine had spread through the entire school by Monday morning. The air was suddenly thick with rumor and suspicion. The first years were now moving around the castle in tight-knit groups, as though scared they would be attacked if they ventured forth alone.

Akko was even more worried about Diana, who looked to be getting worse every time she saw her. Her skin was constantly flushed, looking like she might collapse at any moment, and her once glistening platinum-blonde hair was frayed and lack-luster from days of neglect. Amanda spared no effort to point out that Diana's condition only grew worse after every attack, and though Akko wanted to argue that it was just nerves, she couldn't deny the possibility of a connection.

Meanwhile, hidden from the teachers, a roaring trade in talismans, amulets, and other protective devices was sweeping the school. Naturally, the crew of Amanda, Constanze and Jasminka capitalized on the market, performing secret dealings in bathrooms, broom closets, and, if they were bold enough, during classes. Akko and Lotte caught Amanda in the middle of haggling a large, evil-smelling onion, a pointed purple crystal, and a rotting newt tail to Sóla Lokisdottir from Corona house when Lotte berated her for taking advantage of everyone's fears.

"I'm just trying to make everyone feel safer around school," said Amanda smoothly, slipping a disfigured shrunken head into Sola's hands. "And if they happen to give me money for their gratitude, who am I to refuse?"

* * *

In the second week of December Professor Ursula came around as usual, collecting names of those who would be staying at school for Christmas. It took a lot of effort for Akko to convince her parents to let her stay for Christmas – her mother was very sore for the stunt she pulled at the beginning of the year – but when she expressed concerns about Diana's deteriorating health, they conceded only if she promised to come back for Easter holidays. Sucy and Lotte volunteered to stay as well, but Amanda, Jasminka, and Constanze couldn't get out of their prior obligations. They had also heard that Diana, Hannah, and Barbara were staying for the holidays, which did nothing to alleviate Akko's concerns. The holidays would be the perfect time to use the Golden Perfect and try to slip it to Diana.

Unfortunately, the potion was only half finished. They managed to get newborn dragon scales from Aurora, Amanda's oldest sister currently living in the Lautreamont Knight Kingdom, but they still needed to get the powdered unicorn horns, which Sucy insisted needed to be recovered fresh if the potion was going to work best. The only place where they could hope to find a unicorn was in the dense Arcturus Forest.

"Remind me again why we can't just steal the stuff from Professor Hex's lab," Akko complained Thursday afternoon as Sucy lead her and Lotte through the thick brush of the forest.

"Because Professor Hex has a lot of spells guarding his closet," said Sucy like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "and I'm pretty sure most of them will kill you. And even if it didn't, you'd probably get expelled if you were caught, Akko."

"But how are we even supposed to find a unicorn?" asked Lotte. "They are most elusive magical creatures in the world. The chance of running across one are a million to one – "

"Found one," said Sucy.

"Wow, that was easy," said Lotte shockingly.

Akko, Sucy, and Lotte crouched low behind bush as they slowly peered around a small clearing where their target had stopped. Here as Akko was expecting to see a beautiful, majestic horse with a coat of silky silver and a glistening white mane, she quickly understood just how disappointing reality really was.

The unicorn was far from beautiful – it's legs were so boney and shaky that they barely supported its round, overweight body, its skinny tail looked more like a donkey with a repugnant smell to match, and several disproportionate buck teeth were exposed over its lips. The only thing that made it look made it remotely look like a unicorn was the long, pointed silver horn sticking out of its forehead.

"That's a unicorn?" said Akko, disappointed. "Man, that's so lame."

"Akko, keep your voice down, you might spook it," hissed Lotte.

"Look at the legs on that thing; it's not going anywhere," said Akko, standing up in plain view. "Let's just grab the stupid thing's horn and – "

The unicorn turned its head and Lotte barely managed to pull Akko down by her sleeve before a beam of white light blasted through the space where she once stood. Akko's jaw dropped when she looked at the sizzling hole gaping through the bush and the holes in the dozen trees in its path; two of them fell over with heavy thuds. The girls peeked over the bush and spotted the Unicorn turning on them with its eyes narrowed dangerously and its horn radiating with power.

"It can shoot lasers from its horn?" Akko yelped.

"That's why unicorns are so elusive," said Lotte

"Because no one's crazy enough to get close to one," Sucy added dryly.

The unicorn shot another laser at their bush and the girls quickly jumped out of the way; Akko bounced to the right and Lotte and Sucy exited to the left. Unfortunately for Akko, the unicorn seemed to hold a grudge against her as it steadly followed her around with its horn trained on the witch-in-training; it must have heard her call it stupid. Akko squeaked and scrambled to her feet, dashing out of the way just before another laser shot at her spot, creating a small fire in her place. She tried taking cover behind a thick tree, but then another white laser shot through the trunk like it was made of paper, barely missing Akko's head by a few inches. Akko cried in panic and just started running around, feeling very much like she had landed in a George Lucas film.

Sucy and Lotte were just watching the entire scene play out in the background; Sucy giggled when Akko tripped and went sliding across the forest floor with her face.

"Sucy, don't you think we should help her?" asked Lotte worriedly.

"Maybe in a little bit," said Sucy with a wide grin. "I wanna see if the Unicorn burns all her hair off."

"Sucy!" Lotte shouted, stamping her feet with authority.

"Ugh, fine," Sucy groaned.

Sucy practically glided up to the Unicorn while the hideous animal was busy shooting at Akko. Sucy reached inside her cloak and pulled out a bottle of all-too-familiar venomous-green liquid with made a skull and crossbones out of smoke when she uncorked it. Sucy dumped the contents over the unicorn's head and –

Akko and Lotte immediately looked away and covered their ears from them the unicorn's mutilated cries; vivid memories of last year's minotaur incident coming to the front of their minds. Neither of dared to turn around until Sucy causally strolled between them, carrying the Unicorn's untouched horn.

"I sometimes forget just how scary you really are," Akko told Sucy as they and Lotte hurried back to the New Moon Tower.

"Heh, thanks," said Sucy proudly as she threw the new ingredient into the cauldron and began stirring feverishly. "With this, it'll be ready in two weeks."

"You do realize what we just did, right?" said Lotte uncomfortably. "We just killed an endangered species. We could have just knocked it out and cut off its horn."

"Eh, no one likes unicorns anyway," said Sucy with a shrug as the potion frothed and bubbled.

* * *

A week later, the Polaris group was walking across the entrance hall when they saw a small knot of people gathered around the notice board, reading a piece of paper that had just been pinned up. Nanoha and her best friend, Fate Testarossa, beckoned them over, looking excited.

"They're starting a Dueling Club!" said Nanoha. "First meeting tonight! I wouldn't mind dueling lessons; they might come in handy one of these days…."

"What, you think knowing how to zap people is gonna stop you from getting infected?" said Amanda, but she, too, read the sign with interest.

"Could be useful," said Jasminka as they went into dinner. "Should we go?"

Akko and the others were all for it, so at eight o'clock that evening they hurried back to the dining room. The hundreds of tables had been pushed to the sides and a golden stage had appeared in the front, lit by thousands of glowing fairies overhead. Most of the school seemed to be packed in the room, all carrying their wands and staffs, looking excited.

"I wonder who'll be teaching us?" said Lotte as they edged into the chattering crowd. "Someone told me Professor Ymir used to be a war veteran – maybe it'll be her."

"After what happened during detention last year, I'll believe that," said Akko, remembering the incident from when Ymir saved her and Diana from one of Barbara's attacks.

But to Akko's surprise, it was Professor Ursula that was walking onto the stage, having discard her usual teaching tunic and donned a simple combat uniform of dark pants and short-sleeved shirt. She was accompanied by Professor Croix, who looked the same sans the cape.

Ursula waved an arm for silence and called, "Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent!"

"Now, Headmistress Holbrooke had granted me permission to start this dueling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves. I would hope that you would never be in a situation where you would require these lessons, but given recent events, we feel it would be for the best.

"Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Croix Meridies," said Ursula, flashing a wide smile. "Croix and I both have experience in dueling in the past, though often my colleague likes to go a little overboard."

Croix grinned, not even denying the accusation.

"Professor Croix and I will provide you with a little demonstration," said Ursula. "Um, if you all wouldn't mind stepping back a little – thank you."

Ursula and Croix turned to face each other and gave a gentlemanly bow; Croix did so with an extravagant twirling of her hand while Ursula rolled her eyes at her partner's antics. Ursula raised her wand like a sword in front of her while Croix crossed her arms smugly; four Sorcerer Units hovered down from the ceiling around her.

"It might not be as easy in actual combat," Ursula told the silent crowd, "but proper form is always the foundation for a good defensive strategy. Always be conscious of your footing and keep your wand close to your chest at all times for faster reflex time. Now on the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course."

"Ten bucks say they make out," said Amanda, grinning.

"What is wrong with you?" said Akko.

"One – two – three – "

Croix wasted no time sending her Sorcerer Units flying at Ursula. The blue-haired teacher shot a beam of energy from her wand without needing to recite the spell, tearing one of the machines into scrap. As the remaining Sorcerer Units came flying at her, Ursula bended backwards just underneath them, slapped her hands on the stage, and performed an elegant backflip. During mid-flip, she swung her leg in an arc above and smashed her foot through another one of the Sorcerer Units, displaying a feat of strength no one would have expected from the timid teacher.

Ursula landed on her feet and dashed across the stage, summoning a sword of energy from her wand. She leapt into the air for an overhead strike, but Croix's two remaining Sorcerer Units quickly came to her defense, opening their side panels to a set of projectors. The Sorcerer Units emitted beams of light the formed a spherical force field around the magical scientist. Ursula's energy sword clashed with Croix's force field, showing green sharks all over the stage.

Students were in mixed states of awe and admiration; some like Akko were cheering loudly. Lotte was dancing on her tiptoes. "Don't you think they're going overboard?" she squealed through her fingers.

"Who cares?" said Akko and Amanda together; Constanze gave a double thumbs-up.

Ursula bounced away to the opposite side of the stage. She evaporated her energy sword and returned the wand to her belt as Croix shut off her Sorcerer Units.

"That's just a little bit of what we hope to teach you," said Ursula. "Now we're not expecting you to doing something like out of a Galaxy Fight movie – those were just some advance level spells Croix and I thought might interest you – but we hope you learn the important of maintaining your composure and always be thinking ahead. Rushing in without a plan is suicidal – I'm speaking to you in particular, Miss Kagari" – several students snickered, including Sucy – "Right then, I think that's enough of a demonstration. Professor Croix and I are going to be coming around and put you all into pairs. Please wait patiently to be sorted – "

They moved through the crowd, matching up partners. Ursula teamed Jasminka with Makoto Kowata, but Croix reached Akko's group first.

"All right, girls, time to step out of your comfort zones," she said with an amused smirk. "Let's see – Jansson, you'll be working with Vasquez. Kagari – "

Akko moved automatically toward Sucy.

"Do you really want Manbavaran as your partner?" asked Croix; Akko automatically stepped away from Sucy. "That's what I thought. Kagari, you'll be paired up with England. I'm sure you two will…mostly not hurt each other. And you, Manbavaran – you can work with miss Dubois. Try not to kill her."

"No promises," said Sucy.

Hannah strutted over, smirking. There was no one in Luna Nova Academy who was more devoted – or more likely, obsessed – to Diana Cavendish than her. While Diana never considered Akko her rival, and for good reason, Hannah had always felt threatened by Akko ever since last year during their brief bout of friendship over their mutual love of Shiny Chariot. Akko had the distinct feeling that Hannah wasn't gonna go easy on her just because she wasn't good at magic.

"Face your partner!" called Ursula, back on the stage. "And bow!"

Akko and Hannah barely inclined their heads, not taking their eyes off each other.

"Wands at the ready!" shouted Ursula. "When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponents – _only_ to disarm them – we don't want any accidents – one…two…three – "

Akko swung her wand high, but Hannah had already started on "two": her spell hit Akko so hard she felt as though she'd been hit over the head by a frying pan. She stumbled, but everything still seemed to be working, and wasting no more time, Akko pointed her wand at Hannah and shouted one of the few spells she had been able to master: " _ **Belga Veeda!**_ "

A shot of green energy hit Hannah in the chest, sending her flying on her back.

" _I said disarm only!_ " Ursula shouted in alarm over the heads of the battling crowd, as Hannah flopped over on her knees, wheezing. Akko hung back, with a vague feeling it would be unsporting to bewitch Hannah while she was on the floor, but this was a mistake; gasping for breath, Hannah pointed her wand at Akko's feet, chocked, " _ **Label Forminis!**_ "and the next second, Akko found herself sinking into the floor from the waist down.

"Stop! Stop!" screamed Ursula, but Croix took charge.

One of her Sorcerer Units released a pulse of green energy; the floor spat out Akko like a piece of used gum and she looked around as the room suddenly fell silent. Jasminka was sitting on Makoto's back, the latter trying to reach her wand; Priscilla Vasquez was holding up an ashen-faced Lotte, apologizing for whatever spell she had used; Sucy was admiring a giant mushroom that with Chloe Dubois. It finally happened, Akko thought; Sucy finally turned someone into a mushroom.

"Well, that certainly could have gone better," said Ursula, skittering through the crowd, looking at the aftermath of the duels. "Miss Antonenko, please stop sitting on Miss Kowata…Careful there, Miss Minoru…Ah, don't pick that, Miss McVinegar –

"Maybe we should have started this lesson by teaching them how to _block_ spells," said Ursula, standing flustered in the midst of the hall. "Maybe we should start with a volunteer pair – Miss Vasquez and Miss Jansson, how about you – "

"Yeah, I don't think Miss Jansson is in any condition to be giving any demonstrations," said Croix, looking up and down Lotte, covered in soot. "She looks like she could fall over with a breeze. Maybe someone with thicker skin…. How about Kagari and England?"

"Hmm, I suppose that would be best," said Ursula thoughtfully, gesturing Akko and Hannah into the middle of the hall as the crowd backed away to give them room.

"Now, Akko," said Ursula. "I don't want you to use the Shiny Rod – "

"I know, professor," groaned Akko. "Never use the Shiny Rod for selfish desires."

"Just want to make sure," said Ursula. "You do have a tendency to go out of your way to get what you want."

Croix moved closer to Hannah, bent down, and whispered something in her ear. Hannah smirked. Akko looked up nervously at Ursula and said, "Professor, are you sure I can't use the Shiny Rod? Just this once?"

"Scared?" muttered Hannah, so that Ursula couldn't hear her.

"You wish," said Akko out of the corner of her mouth.

Ursula pulled Akko back some and said, "Just remember that spell Blair's been having you practice and you should do fine."

"But I never got it to work," said Akko.

"Now's a good time as any," said Ursula, standing up straight and walking to the side with Croix. "Both duelists ready! Three – two – one – go!"

Akko raised her wand quickly and bellowed, " _ **Metamorphie Faciesse!**_ "

The Animal Transformation spell, said to be one of the most versatile spells in magic and, according to Blair, Akko's magical affinity. Akko didn't know what she was basing this off of considering she had never done a single transformation in her life, but Akko liked to think she had some talent. Unfortunately, her spell completely missed its intended target and bounced back to Akko, giving her a pair of long rabbit ears and a pink button nose. The hall broke out in fits of giggles and laughter; Ursula scratched her chin nervously while Croix tried to disguise her laugh as a ragged cough.

"Oh my god, just when I thought you couldn't get any lamer!" Hannah cackled cruelly. "You're so useless. It's a wonder how you even got into Luna Nova in the first place when you can't even do a simple transformation spell. Here, let me show you how real witches do magic – "

Akko was used to the mockery and humiliation, always bouncing between being the best Chariot Racer in school to the worst student to ever set foot in Luna Nova. But something different this time. Their taunting laughter seemed to be amplified a hundredfold, bouncing around like an echo in her head. And she might have been imagining it, but there was something about the way they were looking at her that seemed so…menacing, so scornful, like they wanted to hurt her. Akko pulled down her rabbit ears, trying vainly to block them out. She wanted to scream – she wanted to shout –

"SHUT UP!"

When Akko opened her eyes again, she realized that no one was laughing any more; they weren't even looking at her. All eyes were drawn to Hannah, who had suddenly dropped her wand and was holding her head like she was having a migraine. Hannah was making a lot of grunting noises and her limbs were twitching restlessly. Ursula and Croix were approaching her cautiously; Ursula had her wand out and Croix whipped out her phone.

Hannah stopped twitching and her arms fell limp at her sides. She let out a long, rattling breath as she slowly turned until she was facing Makoto Kowata. Her movements were sluggish, like her arms and legs were weighed down by cinder blocks. Then, only a few feet away from her, Hannah snapped her head up; her face was an unnatural gray color and black veins were crawling across her skin – she was infected!

Hannah lunged at Makoto, but Croix's Sorcerer Units smashed into the side of her face to knock Hannah to the ground. Before she could get up, Ursula hit her with a spell that Petrified her into place, making her still as a statue.

Akko ran over to Makoto worriedly, expecting her to be frightened of Hannah's near miss – what she wasn't expecting was for Makoto to be frightened of _her_.

"Stay away from me!" she screamed, and before Akko could say anything, Makoto had turned and ran out of the hall like she was being chased by Arcas.

Ursula and Croix, too, were looking at Akko in an unexpected way: Ursula's brow was furrowed in a hardened expression while Croix stared, shrewd and calculating. Akko was also dimly aware of an ominous muttering all around the walls. Then she felt a tugging on the back of her tunic and was suddenly lifted off the ground onto Jasminka's shoulders.

"Come on," said Sucy's voice in her ear. "Let's get out of here – "

Jasminka carried her out of the hall, her roommates hurrying alongside them. As they went through the doors, the people on either side drew away as though they were frightened of being infected as well. Akko didn't have a clue what was going on, but she was smart enough to know that it looked bad. Her friends weren't saying anything until they dragged her all the way up to the empty Polaris common room Jasminka dumped Akko into an armchair and Sucy said, "If there was a record for how bad a person could screw up, you would break it."

"It's not what it looks like – " Akko sputtered.

"It looked like you threw a fit and Hannah got infected," said Amanda. "Okay, come clean, you don't have anything to do with - ?"

"No!" yelled Akko, looking scandalized. "I can't believe you would even ask that!"

"You have to look at this from our point of view, Akko," said Lotte calmly, gently pushing Akko back in her seat. "The whole school saw it happen and what they saw was you yelling at Hannah just before she turned. That's incriminating no matter how you look at it."

"And there's the fact that Akko would have a motive for each of the attacks," Sucy included. "Lightning was the captain of the Lunar Chariot Race team. When she found out that she was going to be racing against Diana, she would have felt threatened and try to put the team out of commission. Then there was Evie. She's always clinging to Akko like a leech. She would have had dozens of opportunities to infect her, so when she got her butt kicked by that midget ninja, she decided to take it out on poor Evie. And we just saw Hannah publicly humiliate her – "

"Okay, yeah, it looks bad!" Akko snapped. "But I didn't do it! I mean, why would I want to get rid of all the Demi-Humans? I'm a Demi-Human, too!"

"Who was raised by humans," Jasminka pointed out.

"Yeah, and you know people are going to pick up on that," said Lotte worriedly. "People will probably start accusing your mom and dad of being Purifiers who raised you to be some kind of sleeper agent or something – "

"But I'm not!" said Akko, with a panic she couldn't quite explain. "I'm…I love magic more than anything in the world…."

"And we know that, Akko," said Lotte soothingly. "But it'll be hard to convince anyone else after today…."

* * *

Akko lay awake for hours that night. Through a gap in the curtain around her four-poster she watched the snow starting to drift past the tower window and wondered…

 _How_ did Hannah suddenly become infected in front of the entire school like that? Was Akko being set up, or was everyone correct in believing that she may have unintentionally caused her to turn. Akko had waited for nearly an hour in the common room, expected Ursula or even Professor Holbrooke to interrogate her, but no one ever came. Either they didn't believe she was responsible, or they were being cautious around her. At this point, Akko wasn't feeling to optimistic.

Quietly, Akko tried to see if she _could_ summon up whatever was infecting the school, holding up her own hand and staring at it so hard she might end up glaring a hole through it. Nothing happened, of course, which strangely did not make her feel any better. If she was the one responsible for the infection, at least she would have been able to take steps to prevent it.

" _I can't be the plague bearer_ , Akko thought. _My mom was Shiny Chariot, the purest witch that ever lived. The Shiny Rod bonded with me. Even the Magic Mirror said I belonged in Polaris, so I can't be evil…._

 _Ah,_ said a nasty little voice in her brain, _but the Magic Mirror_ wanted _to put you in Eclipse, don't you remember? Just like Aradia…._

Akko turned over. She'd see Makoto the next day in Charms and she'd explain that she wasn't the one who infected Hannah and had no plans of attacking her either, which (she thought angrily, pummeling her pillow) any fool should have realized.

* * *

The next morning, however, Makoto had not been in Charms class. Akko was used to feeling singled out in class for her lack of talent, but now she felt singled out because the majority of the class had moved their seats to be as far away from her as possible. Even the usually cheerful Professor Akane seemed unnaturally cold toward Akko, refusing to answer her questions and throwing her assignment from across the room. Akko supposed she should have expected this since Makoto was Professor Akane's younger sister. Professor Akane cut class earlier that day, appearing to be in a great hurry as she zoomed out of class before anyone had got up from their seats.

Akko fretted about this next to the fire in the Polaris common room while the others observed Constanze absolutely destroying Lotte in a game of chess.

"For mushroom's sake, Akko," said Sucy, exasperatedly, as one of Constanze's bishops took Lotte's knight. "Just go and _find_ Makoto if it's so important to you."

So Akko got up and left through the hidden wall, wondering where Makoto might be.

The castle was darker than it usually was in daytime because of the thick, swirling gray snow at every window. Shivering, Akko walked past classrooms where afternoon lessons were taking place, catching snatches of what was happening within. Professor Finnelan was shouting at someone who, by the sound of it, had turned her friend into a warthog. Resisting the urge to take a look, Akko walked on by, thinking that Makoto might be using her free time to catch up on some work, and deciding to check the library first.

A group of Twilights who had been in Charms were indeed sitting at the back of the library, but they didn't seem to be working. Between the long lines of high bookshelves, Akko could see that their heads were close together and they were having what looked like an absorbing conversation. She couldn't see whether Makoto was among them. She was walking toward them when something of what they were saying met her ears, and she paused to listen, hidden in the invisibility section.

"So anyway," Alice Little was saying, "I told Makoto to hide up in our dorm. What I mean is, if Kagari's marked her down as her next victim, it'd be better if she keeps a low profile for a while. I always knew there was something weird about that Kagari girl. There's no way someone could have so little magical talent and still be able to keep up with someone like Cavendish."

"You really think it is Kagari, then, Alice?" said Zizi Delevingne.

"Zizi," said Alice solemnly, "you saw it for yourself. One moment she's the laughing stock of the entire school, the next moment she gets pissed off and Hannah turns in the middle of the entire school. That's not something that can be counted as a coincidence. And remember Lightning and that Evie girl who's always hanging around her? Kagari had a reason to infect every one of them."

"She's always been so nice, though," said Zizi uncertainly, "and, well, she's the one who saved Diana from that minotaur last year and stopped Barbara from stealing the Shiny Rod."

Alice lowered her voice mysteriously, the Twilight students bent closer, and Akko edged closer so that she could catch Alice's words.

"No one knows what really happened last year. Everyone in the school knew that Kagari was the worst student in school, but what if it was an act. I'll bet you anything she's the one that sent that Minotaur after Cavendish and then 'rescued' her to make herself look like a hero to throw everyone off. I'll bet she was even the one that planted all those nasty rumors about Barbara being the one trying to kill Cavendish and steal the Shiny Rod for herself. I'd wager a hundred pounds that Barbara was the one trying to stop Kagari from doing all those terrible things last year, but Kagari used her Purifier tricks to defeat her and stole the Shiny Rod so that no one else could use it to stop her. But she made a mistake; she's shown her true colors now. All that's left is for the headmistress to kick her ass out of Luna Nova."

Akko couldn't take anymore. Clearing her throat loudly, she stepped out from behind the bookshelves. If she hadn't been feeling so angry, she would have found the sight that greeted her funny: Every one of the Twilight students looked as though they had been petrified by the sight of her, and the color was draining out of Alice's pale skin.

"Hello," said Akko. "I'm looking for Makoto."

The Twilight's worst fears had clearly been confirmed. They all looked fearfully at Alice.

"What do you want with her?" said Alice in a quivering voice.

"I wanted to tell her what really happened at the Dueling Club," said Akko.

Alice bit her lips and then, taking a deep breath, said, "We were all there. We saw what happened."

"Then you would know that I never even touched Hannah during our duel," said Akko. "I couldn't even get a metamorphosis spell to work."

"Obviously a misdirection," said Alice stubbornly, though she was trembling as she spoke. "It's very fishy how you can pull off a super complicated spell like the Shiny Arc, but can't even do a simple metamorphosis spell. Maybe you've been lying to us this whole time and are actually good at magic. Yeah, that way no one would suspect you."

"No, I suck at magic!" Akko said, her voice shaking with anger. "The Shiny Arc is just different, okay!"

"As if I'd ever believe you," said Alice. "And in case you're getting any ideas," she added hastily, "you should know my family's magical liniage dates back eight hundred years. My magical bloodline is just as powerful as the Cavendish, so – "

"Why would you think I even care?" said Akko furiously. "My mom is Shiny Chariot! I'm a pureblooded Demi-Human like you!"

"But you were raised by humans," said Alice swiftly. "They probably taught you all about being a murderous Purifier – "

Alice promptly shut her mouth when Akko slammed her fist on the table, leering at her.

"I don't care what you say about me," she hissed, "but don't you ever talk bad about _Otou-san_ and _Okaa-san_ …."

She turned on her heel and stormed out of the library, earning herself a reproving glare from Professor Badcock, who was polishing the gilded cover of a large spellbook.

Akko blundered up the corridor, barely noticing where she was going, she was in such a fury. The result was that she walked into someone as she turned the corner, which knocked her backward onto the floor.

"Oh, sorry about that, Professor Croix," Akko said, looking up.

The technological teacher shook her head to dismiss the apology, brushing her disheveled hair out of her face. Now that Akko had a better look, it seemed like Croix was extremely exhausted and only moving through sheer willpower. Her normal immaculate and calculated clothes had a number of noticeable stains, her perfectly coiffed hair looked akin to a rat's nest, and there were deep bags under her eyes, a clear sign that she hadn't slept in a while. There were a number of books tucked underneath her arm.

"You all right, Miss Kagari?" she said. "Why aren't you in class?"

"Professor Akane cut it early," said Akko, getting up. "What are you up to?"

She held up the books – they were all medical texts.

"Been up all night studying the infection," she explained. "I'm still waiting for the BSAA to send their research notes over, but I thought I would try to get a head start. The sooner I can recreate a vaccine, the sooner we can end this madness." She peered more closely at Akko with deeply concerned eyes. "Are you sure you're all right? You look upset – "

Akko couldn't bring herself to repeat what Alice and the rest of the Twilights had been saying about her.

"It's nothing," she said. "I'd better get going, Professor Croix, it's alchemy next and I need to pick up my books before Professor Finnelan finds another reason to expel me."

She walked off, her mind still full of what Alice had been saying about her.

Akko stamped up the stairs and turned along another corridor, which was particularly dark; the fairies had seemed to have wandered off, seemed was most unusual for the hard-working sprites. A strong, icy draft was blowing through a loose windowpane, making her shiver. She was halfway down the passage when she tripped headlong over something lying on the floor.

Akko groaned, rubbing her head, which was throbbing painfully, when she felt something wrap around her ankle. She flipped around and suddenly felt as though her stomach had dissolved.

Makoto Kowata was crawling on the floor, her hand gripping Akko's ankle, letting a prolonged rattling breath; the familiar black veins spreading across her paling skins were a clear indication that she had been infected. Akko didn't even think about what she was going to do next when she kicked Makoto in the face, freeing herself and hopping up to make a desperate run for it. Unfortunately, her path was blocked by someone else.

It was Professor Akane Kowata, her rich, exotic mocha skin now as white as a bedsheet with black veins throbbing on the surface, stumbling as she lurched forward with her hands outstretched. Akko narrowly ducked out of the way and Professor Akane tripped over Makoto, sending her sprawling over the floor.

Akko slowly backed away, her breathing fast and shallow, her heart doing a kind of drumroll against her ribs. The Kowata sisters made guttural noises as they pulled themselves up to stand, turning ever so slowly with their bones cracking as they moved. Akko looked wildly up and down the deserted corridor and saw another albino snake peering in through the loose windowpane. If not for her dire situation, Akko would have found this strange.

Akko considered just running. The Kowata sisters didn't look very fast; she could leave and no one would ever know she had been there. But what if someone else came along…Akko would feel guilty if someone got hurt because of her negligence….She could go for help….Would anyone believe she hadn't had anything to do with this?

As she backed away from the sisters, panicking, a door right next to her had opened with a bang. Mr. Mxyzptlk came shooting out.

"Well, if it ain't the main character," said Mr. Mxyzptlk, knocking Akko sideways as he bounced past her. "Whatcha up to this time? The author doesn't let me read the script anymore because they're afraid I'll break the fourth wall like I'm doing now – "

Mr. Mxyzptlk stopped, halfway through a midair somersault. Upside down, she spotted the Kowata Sister, both were looking up at his with their heads tilted strangely. He flipped right way up, filled her lungs and, before Akko could stop him, screamed, "ATTACK! ATTACK! ANOTHER ATTACK! NO STUDENT OR TEACHER IS SAFE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! ATTAAAACK!"

 _Crash – crash – crash_ – door after door flew open along the corridor and people flooded out. They all jumped back when they saw Makoto and Akane, who looked surprised by the large number of human targets that suddenly presented themselves. Before either of them could decide who to go after first, Professor Finnelan suddenly came running through the crowd. She whipped out her wand and wordlessly cast a spell, creating several stone hands from the floor that grabbed both of the Kowata sisters and pinned them down to the ground. She raised her wand over her head again to set off a loud bang, which restored silence, and ordered everyone back into their classes. No sooner had the scene cleared somewhat than Alice Little arrived, panting, on the scene.

" _I knew it was you!_ " Alice yelled, her face stark white, pointing her finger dramatically at Akko.

"That will do, Little!" said Professor Finnelan sharply.

Mr. Mxyzptlk was bobbing overhead, now grinning wickedly, surveying the scene; Mxyz always loved chaos. As the teachers bent over Makoto and Akane, examining them, Akko slowly turned around waiting for Professor Finnelan to declare that she was happily expelling Akko on the spot. But strangely enough, Finnelan maintained a neutral expression the whole time.

Makoto and Akane were contained in the same bubbles Ursula had summoned for Lightning and carried off to quarantine by Professor Hex and Professor Lovecraft from the Magical Mythology department. This left Akko and Professor Finnelan alone together, which did not settle well in Akko's stomach.

"This way, Kagari," said Professor Finnelan.

"Professor," said Akko at once, "I swear I didn't – "

"This is out of my hands, Kagari," said Professor Finnelan curtly.

They marched in silence down the corridor and up the stairway to the top floor until they stopped in front of a large, ornate door with a large, spiraling green stone embedded in the polished oak. Professor Finnelan knocked on the door before opening it, gesturing for Akko to go inside.

"You will wait in here until the headmistress arrives," she said briskly. "And just so you know, some part of me was hoping it really wasn't you…."

Professor Finnelan closed the door behind her and Akko knew immediately where she had been taken. This was Professor Holbrooke's office.

* * *

 **Having someone turned into an infected in front of the whole school seems a whole lot more incriminating than being able to speak to snakes, don't you think, especially when the victim in question was a known bully. The evidence is greatly stacked against Akko and it looks like the entire school has turned against her. This may very well be the end of Akko's days at Luna Nova Academy.**

 **Next Chapter: An Unexpected Friend**


	12. An Unexpected Friend

**Akko Kagari and the Evil Within**

 **Chapter Twelve:** **An Unexpected Friend**

Akko looked around. She would have thought that the headmistress's office would be something grand and spectacular, that it would be like walking into a curious world filled with ticking trinkets and shiny silver bobbles. But once again, Akko learned that reality is a lot more disappointing than imagination. Though Akko didn't know why for the life of her that the headmistress's office was so disappointing when she was on the verge of being thrown out of school.

The office was rather plain, barely bigger than a normal classroom. A row of bookcases lined the left-hand wall with a large aquarium taking up space on the opposite side. There was an enormous, claw-footed desk near the back of the room, and behind it were nine well-sculptured statues of various witch's hats - their significance currently escaped Akko, she she thought at least the middle one looked familiar to her. And off on the right-hand side of the statues, tucked away in a small corner, half covered by a white sheet, was a large, scratched up mirror – the _Magic Mirror._

Akko hesitated. She cast a wary eye at the door. Surely it couldn't hurt if she took a look in the mirror again? Just to see…just to make sure it _had_ put her in the right House –

She walked quietly around the desk, pulled off the sheet, and stared into the reflective surface. She could only see herself in the glass whereas the background was entirely black, the office nonexistent in whatever reality this mirror resided in. She waited for a moment…and then her reflection crossed her arms, frowning, while the real Akko stood perfectly still.

"Can I help you with something, Atsuko Kagari?" said Mirror-Akko.

"Er, yes," Akko muttered. "Er – sorry to bother you – I wanted to ask – "

"You've been wondering whether I put you in the right House," said Mirror-Akko smartly. "Yes…you were particularly difficult to place. But I stand by what I said before" – Akko's heart leapt – "you _would_ have done well in Eclipse – "

Akko's stomach plummeted. She threw the sheet back over the mirror, completely covering it so there wasn't a hint of her own self-satisfied reflection. She backed away from the mirror, feeling sick.

"You're wrong," she said aloud to the silent mirror. It didn't vocalize a response.

Akko walked away and stepped lightly over to the large aquarium, leaning in close to look through the transparent glass. There was a moment when she thought it was empty when something moved through the small patch of rising seaweed. It was a goldfish, but none that Akko had ever seen before. It was brightly colored with a yellowish-green body and glistening turquoise fins that shimmered in the weak florescent light overhead. It was wearing a pointed had not too dissimilar to the ones the teachers wore, but Akko didn't find this strange considering she had a talking cat with her own curling witch's hat.

The little goldfish waded through the seaweed and came up to Akko near the glass. Akko chuckled amusingly as she leaned in closer, practically face-to-face with the fish, and tapped the glass. A moment later, the fish floated to the surface on its belly.

Akko screamed; she was pretty sure a few of the windows cracked just then. This was bad – this was ultra, mega, super, über bad! If she wasn't being expelled for infecting the school, she was now for killing the headmistress's goldfish. Akko looked around feverishly. She needed to hide the body, remove all traces of evidence of her involvement.

Unfortunately, the office door opened at that moment and Professor Holbrooke's voice filtered through.

"My decision has not changed, Lord Hanbridge. While I am grateful for everything you've done for Luna Nova, we will not – "

Professor Holbrooke came in, stopping herself when she saw Akko looking very guilty in the middle of her office. Akko looked back at the headmistress and then stared up into the face of a deeply surly man. It took a while for Akko to remember where she had seen him before. It was Mr. Hanbridge, Andrew's father. She had seen them both at Silent Hill back in July.

"As you can see, Lord Hanbridge, I have business to attend to," said Professor Holbrooke. "If you will excuse me?"

Mr. Hanbridge looked like he had more to say, but relented and closed the door behind him on the way out. Once he was gone, Professor Holbrooke padded up to Akko, looking between her and the goldfish floating lifelessly at the top of her aquarium.

"Professor," Akko gasped. "Your fish – I swear I didn't mean it – I was just – "

To Akko's astonishment, Professor Holbrooke laughed.

"Professor Pisces, you little trickster," she said amusingly. "Stop teasing the poor girl. She looks like she could have a heart attack."

The little goldfish made a splash as it flipped around, floating back down the tank and waving its fin at Akko. The poor girl in question was so stupefied by what had happened that she couldn't articulate a response.

"Miss Kagari, this is Professor Pisces," said Professor Holbrooke, gesturing a hand to the goldfish. "She may not look like much, but she is a very capable witch herself. She is responsible for teaching magical philosophy and most recently we are considering having her teach the Study of Abnormal Creatures class next year. Don't worry, you're not the first to mistake Professor Pisces for a simple pet – many who do not come from magical families are unaccustomed to the idea of an aquatic sea creature teaching classes. But you can rest assured that Professor Pisces is one of the finest teachers here."

Professor Pisces floated back to her hiding place in the seaweed and Professor Holbrooke seated herself behind her desk. In the shock of thinking Professor Pisces was dead, Akko had forgotten what she was there for, but it all came back to her as Professor Holbrooke settled herself in the high chair behind the desk and fixed Akko with her penetrating, light-blue stare.

Before Professor Holbrooke could speak another word, however, the door of the office flew open with an almighty bang and Croix burst in, a wild look in her tired eyes.

"It wasn't Kagari, Headmistress!" said Croix urgently. "I was talking to her _seconds_ before Professor and Miss Kowata were found, she never had time, ma'am – "

Professor Holbrooke tried to say something, but Croix went rant on, waving her arms around animatedly and nearly smacking Akko over the head.

" – it couldn't have been her, I'll swear it in front of the Magic Council if I have to – "

"Professor Croix, I – "

"You have the wrong person, Headmistress, I _know_ Kagari never – "

" _Professor Croix!_ " said Professor Holbrooke loudly. "I do _not_ think that Akko infected those people."

"Oh," said Croix, her hands falling limply at her side. "Right, I'll wait outside then, Headmistress."

And she marched out looking embarrassed.

"You don't think it was me, Professor?" Akko repeated hopefully.

"No, Miss Kagari, I don't," said Professor Holbrooke, though her face became somber. "But I still want to talk to you."

Akko waited nervously as Professor Holbrooke considered her, the tips of her fingers together.

"I must ask you, Miss Kagari, whether there is anything you'd like to tell me," she said gently. "Anything at all."

Akko didn't know what to say. She thought Andrew and his father acting suspicious in Silent Hill and of the Golden Perfect simmering away in the New Moon Tower. Then she thought of the disembodied voice calling out to her twice and remembered what Lotte had said: _"Hearing voices no one else can hear isn't a good sign, especially for a Demi-Humans."_ She thought, too, about what everyone was saying about her, and her growing dread that she was somehow responsible for all this….

"No," said Akko. "There isn't anything, Professor…."

* * *

The double infection of the Kowata sisters turned what had hitherto been nervousness into real panic. Akane Kowata was regarded as a prodigy in the magical world, easily one of the most powerful teachers in the school under the Headmistress. "What could possibly have overpowered someone like that?" people asked each other. There was almost a stampede to book seats on the Mystic Rail so that students could go home for Christmas.

"At this rate, we'll be the only ones left," Lotte told Akko and Sucy. "Us, Diana, and Barbara. I can't tell if that's a good or a bad thing.

Despite what had happened to Hannah and her none-to-hidden dislike of Diana, Barbara had chosen to stay with her over the holidays. But Akko was glad that most people were leaving. She was tired of people skirting around her in the corridors, as though she was about to sprout fangs or spit poison; tired of all the mutter, pointing, and hissing as she passed. When no one thought she was listening, she could hear whispers of Akko the Plague-Bearer spoken in fear.

Amanda's group, however, somehow found amusement in all the chaos. They went out of their way to march ahead of Akko down the corridors, shouting, "Make way for the Plague-Bearer, seriously evil witch coming through…."

Amanda's sister was not so readily amused, especially when it concerned her star player.

"It is _not_ a laughing matter," she said coldly. "You idiots are going to get her kicked off the team."

"Oh, get out of the way, Ame," said Amanda. "Akko's in a hurry. She wants to infect at least ten people before dinner starts."

Jasminka and Constanze laughed out loud as they joined in on Amanda's little game, whether it was Jasminka asking Akko very loudly who she was planning to attack next, or when Constanze pretended to ward Akko off with a large clove of garlic and prayer beads when they met.

Akko didn't mind; it made her feel better that those three, at least, thought the idea of her being the Plague-Bearer was quite ludicrous. But their antics seemed to be aggravating Diana Cavendish, who looked increasingly sour each time she saw them at it.

"I don't think Diana approves of how lightly Amanda and the others are taking this whole thing," said Lotte understandingly. "This is a serious infection and they're treating it like a joke. We need to find out who the real Plague-Bearer is soon."

"Well, we'll find out if it's Cavendish or not soon," said Sucy in a satisfied tone. "The Golden Perfect is nearly ready. We'll have her so doped up, we might even be able to get her to confess her Shiny Chariot obsession in public."

* * *

At last, the term ended, and a silence deep as the snow on the grounds descended on the castle. Akko found it peaceful, rather than gloomy, and enjoyed the fact that she, Lotte, and Sucy had the run of Polaris Tower, which meant they could Boom Ball (a game like dodgeball, only where the ball exploded on contact), and practice dueling in private. Amanda and her family went to visit their second oldest sister, Alexia, in Paris where she had opened a shop for her dress brand. Constanze was taking a two-week cruise with her parents and, according to Amanda, Constanze was a huge fan of ships just as much as robots. And Jasminka went back to Moscow to work part-time at her family's confectionary store in time for the Christmas rush.

Christmas morning dawned, cold and white. Akko and Lotte had been sleeping peacefully in their dorm when they were woken very early by Sucy, who burst in, fully dressed and carrying presents for both of them.

"Wake up," she said loudly, pulling back the curtains at the window.

"Ugh…five more minutes, _Okaa-san_ ," said Akko, shielding her eyes against the light.

"Merry Christmas to you, too," said Sucy, throwing her present at her head. "I've been up for nearly an hour, adding more cockatrice feathers to the potion. It's ready."

"Sucy, shush!" Lotte hissed. "Blair…."

Akko sat up, first seeing Lotte and Sucy standing her bedside, and then to the purple-furred cat curled up next to her. With years of practiced experience, Akko managed to slip out of the bed without disturbing Blair; the cat stretched herself out in her sleep and rolled over, but did not wake. The three of them waited until they were quietly in the common room before Akko said, "You're sure it's ready?"

"Positive," said Sucy. "Though it's only got a twenty-four-hour lifespan. If we're going to do it, it has to be tonight."

"I've got my ring upstairs," said Akko. "All we need to do is slip inside the Lunar common room and spike Diana's tea with the potion."

"But wait, we have a problem," said Lotte, suddenly looking very worried. "Hannah. The whole plan relied on convincing her to let us into the common room, but now she's locked up in quarantine. How are we supposed to get inside now?"

"This is one more Lunar student here," said Sucy.

"But Barbara hates me, almost as much as she hates Diana," said Akko. "She'll never help us."

"Maybe," said Sucy, "but she's the only one we've got."

Before Akko could express her displeasure at the plan, the door to their dormitory flew open and Blair came out in human form, leaning over the banister.

"Akko, what're you doing down there?" said Blair excitedly. "C'mon, you're presents just arrived!"

Akko and the others tried not to look guilty as they marched back up to the dormitory where a mountain of presents was waiting for them. The usual Christmas card came from Hikari and her friends back in Japan along with a slice of cake, reminding Akko of the terrible incident at her own birthday party. Her parents sent her another care package filled with sweets along with a sweater her mother hand-knitted. Amanda sent her a designer jacket from her sister's brand, which was bright yellow and dotted with neon-green shooting stars. Jasminka also sent her a few sweets from her family's store, though one or two of them looked like they had been nibbled on. Constanze sent her one of her Stan Bots, but made it explicitly clear in her note that it was only to borrow and would be coming back for it. Lotte had given her a book called _The Rise of Ooarai_ , a book about how a small town in Japan had saved itself from being shut down by winning the Chariot Racing World Championship (and something called Sensha-do, but that seemed more like a human thing). Akko didn't dare touch the box that Sucy had given her; she thought she heard it growling.

Christmas morning was just starting to look great, it almost made Akko forget the significant amount of rule-breaking she was planning next.

* * *

No one, not even someone dreading infiltrating another house's common room through a very flimsy plan, could fail to enjoy Christmas meals at Luna Nova.

The dining hall was magnificent. Not only were there nine frost-covered Christmas trees and thick streamers of holly and mistletoe wrapped around the walls and railings of each floor, but enchanted snow was falling, warm and dry, from the ceiling. Professor Holbrooke led them in a few of her favorite carols, Elma booming more and more loudly with every mug of eggnog she consumed. Akko didn't even care that Barbara was making loud, snide remarks about her new sweater from the table she shared with Diana, though she knew she had to confront Barbara eventually if they were ever going to get into the Lunar house.

Akko and Lotte had barely finished their third helpings of ham and turkey sandwiches when Sucy ushered them out of the dining hall brandishing a small vial of what looked like liquid gold.

"This is the Golden Perfect," said Sucy, handing it to Akko. "For it to truly be effective, you need a sample of the person you're using it on. The added DNA will make them more susceptible to the potion's effects. So once you get inside, you'll just need to pluck a single hair from Diana's head and add it to the potion before you pour it into her drink. It shouldn't be difficult as long as your invisible. You got the ring?"

"Right here in my pocket," said Akko, pulling a small black ring dotted with white pinpricks.

The Ring of Gyges was a rare and valuable tool that could render anyone who wore it completely invisible, even to magical security. But more importantly, it was the only thing other than the Shiny Rod that Akko had gained from her mother, Shiny Chariot. Professor Ursula had given it to her last Christmas to help her find the Shiny Rod, though she probably never imagined Akko would use it to sneak into another house's dormitory.

"Now all that's left is a way inside," said Lotte. "And the only way to go is…"

"To beg Barbara for help," Akko groaned. "This would have been a whole lot better if Hannah hadn't gotten infected. She doesn't like me, but at least I didn't almost kill her with a Shiny Arc. And she hates Diana, so she would probably jump at the chance to get evidence to prove she's behind the plague."

"Maybe you can use that angle to sneak in," suggested Sucy.

"Well, you better think of something fast," said Lotte urgently. "Because here she comes."

Lotte and Sucy scrambled out of sight ("Traitors!" hissed Akko) as Barbara emerged from the dining hall alone. Akko tilted sideways to look inside, finding Diana still sitting at her table taking her time with lunch; she was being unusually slow about it today, but it served a great opportunity for her.

Before Barbara had a chance to get far, Akko stepped in her path, hands folded behind her back, trying to muster the what she hoped was a gracious smile.

"What do you want, Akko?" said Barbara, frowning. "If you're looking for more food to stuff your face with, you better move on."

"Um, no, not exactly," said Akko hesitantly. "Actually…I was kinda wondering…if you might do me a favor…."

"You want me to sneak you into the Lunar dormitory so you can spy on Diana, don't you?" said Barbara, sounding very unimpressed.

"How did you figure it out?" Akko gasped in shock.

"Did you already forget that I'm the third smartest student in Luna Nova?" said Barbara. "I dropped my books during Annabel Crème's class, so you didn't notice me when you went up and asked her to sign that note to get into the Reference Archives. I followed you to the library and saw the book you were checking out: The Archamada Book of Spells? There is some seriously dark magic in that book. I figured you guys were up to something, so I repaired some of Professor Croix's old Sorcerer Units that I stole last year before she upgraded to the newer models. I sent them to spy on you and overheard you planning to use the Golden Perfect on Diana."

"Wow, you really are on top of everything, aren't you?" said Akko impressively.

"How you think I got so far during the trials last year?" said Barbara, scoffing. "I spent a whole year on a convoluted plan that didn't pan out because I got greedy. But I have to ask: why are you trying to force Diana to drink a truth potion?"

"Well…we think she might be the Plague-Bearer," said Akko. "I know you probably think I'm the Plague-bearer – "

"I don't," Barbara cut in.

"Wait, what?" Akko sputtered, taken aback. "You really don't think I infected all those people? Even after you saw me during the Dueling Club?"

"Most of the students here are stupid," said Barbara, shaking her head disappointingly. "Believing wild rumors and baseless gossip. I'm smarter than that and I know the kind of person you are, Akko. You may be a troublemaker and a delinquent, but you're too much of a goody-two-shoes to do anyone serious harm. So, no, I don't think you're the one infecting everyone – Gah!" Akko had jumped on her, wrapping her in a bear hug with waterfalls streaming down her cheeks in an overdramatic fashion. "EW! Get off me! You're getting snot all over my uniform!"

"I' m – just – so – happy!" Akko babbled weepingly. "Someone finally believes me!"

"That's fine, just get off!" yelled Barbara, finally pushing Akko off. "Aw, now my uniform is all wet. Thanks a lot."

"So…," said Akko, sniffing and wiping her nose with her sleeve, "you'll help us?"

"Maybe," said Barbara, frowning as she removed her tunic, leaving her in her skirt and undershirt. "But why do you think Diana is the Plague-Bearer? She comes from a long line of witches dating back to when Beatrix founded the Cavendish House."

"Well, this all started when Lightning was infected, right?" said Akko. "Diana bit her during practice and suddenly she shows up all zombified later. That's a little suspicious. I can't really make any connection to Evie, Makoto, and Professor Akane, but they were all alone when they were infected, so it could have just been a random attack. And Hannah – "

"Is always hanging out with me and Diana," Barbara concluded. "She could have had any chance to infect either one of us…. Okay, I'll help, but not because I like you or anything. It's just that, well, Hannah is a very special friend and I – I want to get the bastard who zombified her."

But when she was referring to Hannah as a "very special friend", Akko noticed the way Barbara's cheeks were slightly dusted with pink. Akko recognized the look because it's the way she looked whenever she thought about Diana or when Constanze received a rare hug from Amanda. Akko couldn't stop the Cheshire grin that stretched from ear-to-ear.

"What is with that creepy look on your face?" said Barbara, backing away uncomfortably.

"I got you figured out," said Akko with a devious chuckle. "You have a crush on Hannah."

"W-w-w-w-what?" Barbara all but screamed, slapping her hands over her mouth as her face turned bright red. "Th – that's ridiculous. I always knew you were an idiot, but this is on a whole different level!"

"That's the real reason why you hate Diana!" Akko shouted triumphantly. "You're jealous because Hannah's always fangirling her! Oh my god, this is too good to be true!"

"S-shut up!" Barbara stuttered embarrassingly. "Do you want my help or not?"

"Okay, okay, I'll stop teasing you," said Akko, chuckling a small bit. "Anyway, I need to be able to slip inside the Lunar dorms, but I have no idea where they are or how to get inside. I have the Golden Perfect and a magic tool that can turn me invisible. You need to open the door so that I can grab a strand of Diana's hair and add it to the Golden Perfect. Then all I had to do is slip it in her tea and she'll tell us anything."

"So you want me to ask her the questions so she doesn't realize you're spying on her, right?" said Barbara.

"Huh, I didn't think of that," hummed Akko. "Okay, I'll leave the questions to you."

"All right, meet me by the staircase after dinner tonight," said Barbara. "Diana, Hannah, and I always have afternoon tea right after dinner in the common room. That'll be your best bet.

"Right," Akko nodded in confirmation.

"Oh, and Akko," Barbara leaned in close and whispered into her ears. "If you say anything about me having a crush on Hannah to anyone, I'll use a little spell I found in the library that pushes your toenails back into your skin and then rip them out with a telekinesis spell."

And with that threat, Barbara walked away casually while Akko remained rooted in her place, stiff as a statue.

* * *

After relaying the new plan to Lotte and Sucy (and chewing them out for ditching her), Akko had no choice but to wait patiently until dinner later that night. She had spent hours pacing restlessly back and forth in the common room that she started to leave a huge scuff on the floor until Sucy tied her up, saying her pacing was annoying her. Of course neither she nor Lotte were worried, they weren't the ones that were breaking into another house's dorm and slipping a person with an illegal chemical.

When Christmas dinner finally came around, Akko couldn't bring herself to enjoy the festivities, even when Professor Cosmos brought in flying mistletoe and Professor Hex tried valiantly to catch the Herbalism teacher underneath. She practically shoved the food in her mouth, wanting to finish as quickly as possible all while trying to keep an eye on Diana and Barbara's table. The two of them dined almost too formally and didn't even say a word to each other; Hannah was apparently the glue that brought them together. As she took a bite of beef wellington, Barbara caught Akko's eye out of her peripheral and made a subtle nod that Diana didn't appear to notice.

"I am quite full now," said Barbara, replacing her fork and knife on the table. "I shall return to our common room and prepare the afternoon tea."

"Will you now?" said Diana, looking to Barbara suspiciously. "That seems rather odd. I was under the impression that you only joined me for afternoon tea for Hannah's sake."

"And this is for the same reason," said Barbara, sliding out of her seat. "Hannah would be very disappointed if she knew we were not keeping up the tradition while she was away."

"Yes, I suppose she would," Diana nodded. "Very well. I shall join you shortly."

Barbara excused herself and walked out of the dining hall. Akko waited exactly two minutes before getting up and stepping out into the entrance hall as to not look suspicious. She found Barbara leaning against the banister of the spiraling staircase, tapping her foot impatiently.

"You have everything?" asked Barbara in a hushed voice.

"Right here," said Akko, holding up her Ring of Gyges and the vial of Golden Perfect.

"Good, put that ring on," said Barbara. "I won't be able to see you, so stay close."

Akko slipped the Ring of Gyges on her right middle finger and felt the familiar chill of the ring's magic taking effect. Though she could see her own arms and legs clearly, the way that Barbara's eyes snapped back and forth told her that she had no idea where Akko was. Feeling a little mischievous, Akko leaned in and blew into Barbara's ear, making her jump and squeak like a frightened mouse. Akko laughed and Barbara tried to take a swing out her, aiming in the complete opposite direction.

"Stop messing around!" Barbara hissed quietly just as Wangari came out of the dining hall, looking at her strangely. "Diana will be out any minute! Come on!"

Akko and Barbara hurried up the spiraling staircase, skipping two steps at a time until they turned off on the fifth floor and made their way towards the south side of the school. The corridors were steeped in darkness; the fairies that normally lit the halls were barely flicking enough to see their own feet in front of them. Their footsteps echoed particularly loudly and the feeling that things were bound to get worse welled up inside Akko. Barbara lead the way through the deserted corridors, unperturbed by the pale lighting, when they heard a sudden movement ahead. Barbara threw up her hand, silently commanding Akko to stop, and withdrew her wand.

"Who's there?" Barbara called out as her wand lit up. "I'm warning you! I'm a lot stronger than I look!"

The figure was emerging from a side room. As they stepped closer, however, Akko's heart sank. It was Elma, brandishing her crooked trident, taken aback by Barbara's sudden outburst.

"What are you doing here?" Barbara questioned her tersely.

Elma looked affronted.

"I," she said stiffly, "am doing my job. I am patrolling the corridors to make sure there are no more attacks. And what about you? You know there is a new no-wandering-alone policy in effect, don't you? Everyone must have a partner if they wish to walk around the castle. So where is your partner?"

"I can take care of myself just fine," Barbara retorted.

"I'm sure you think you do," said Elma, leering at her. "There have been multiple attacks in Luna Nova and one of the teachers is currently in quarantine. Do not fool yourself into believing your better than a Luna Nova instructor….Wait a minute, I remember you now. You're Parker, aren't you? You tried to steal the Claiomh Solais last year….You wouldn't happen to know anything about what's happening now, would you?"

A voice suddenly echoed behind Akko and Barbara. Diana Cavendish was strolling toward them, and for the first time in her life, Barbara looked pleased to see her.

"There you are," she drawled, looking at Barbara before turning to Elma. "You'll have to forgive her for being out alone like this. I was taking my time in the dining hall and asked Barbara to go on ahead without me. I can assure you that she meant no harm in doing so."

Elma glanced between the two, grimacing.

"All right, you're both off the hook for now," she said. "But if I see either one of you wandering the halls alone again, I'll report you straight to your Head of House…no, Professor Finnelan might play favorites again. I'll report you to the Headmistress then."

"We quite understand," said Diana politely. "These are dangerous times. One can never be too cautious."

"Yes," said Elma slowly. "Well, enough lollygagging. Head back to your dormitory immediately."

Elma strode between them two; Akko ducked as her tail whipped behind her. She, Diana, and Barbara hurried down the corridor and turned into the next passage as Barbara said, "that stupid dragon, accusing me – "

"You don't exactly have the best record," said Diana coolly. "The events from last year are still fresh in everyone's minds. I believe you've already been interrogated three times by the teaching staff."

"And I always said the same thing: it wasn't me," said Barbara, seething.

"And I believe you," said Diana. "But this is not the best place to talk about this. Ah, here we are…."

They paused by a stretched of stone wall where the only thing present in the entire hall was a gilded portrait of a full moon.

"I've forgotten, what was the new coordinates for this month?" Diana asked Barbara.

"3.197 north and 23.385 east," answered Barbara.

"Oh, that's right," said Diana.

To Akko's amazement, Diana reached out and started spinning the moon inside the portrait like a globe, sliding it to the right and up and until she found a small, crescent moon shape. She swiped her finger through the symbol and the portrait faded away, transforming into the short tunnel. Diana and Barbara lightly stepped through the frame and Akko followed inside before the portrait closed behind them.

The Lunar common room was a small, high-ceiling room with stain glass windows that depicted historic events and a silver chandelier from which hanged candles of blue flames. A fire was crackling under an elaborately carved mantelpiece ahead of them, and several Lunar students were silhouetted around it in high-backed chairs. Diana and Barbara moved over to a plush sofa and loveseats with a nice oak coffee table between them. Diana rested herself on the end of the sofa while Barbara walked to retrieve a fancy tea set from the nearby cabinet.

"Any preferences tonight, Diana?" asked Barbara politely.

"I believe we just got a fresh box of peppermint from _Fleur de Lapin_ ," said Diana whimsically. "It's supposed to boost one's immune system. With everything going on, it wouldn't hurt to have a cup."

Akko had almost forgotten: the tea! She still needed a sample from Diana!

As Barbara began making the tea, Akko silently slipped behind the coach as Diana reclined her head back with a tired sigh as she loosened her school tie and undid the top two buttons of her shirt. Akko swallowed. She could see a lot more of Diana's skin than she normally would, taking in the smooth pale skin of her neck that went all the way down to her cleavage –

Akko slapped herself across the face so hard, the clap caused everyone to look around for the source. When they could apparently find nothing, they went back to what they were doing.

Akko couldn't believe she nearly lost focus of the objective. She shook her head and focused on the target: the beautiful waterfall of platinum blonde hair hanging over the backrest of the sofa. Since it probably wasn't a good idea to pluck a hair directly from Diana's scalp, Akko had brought along a pair of scissors. She clipped a few strands of Diana's hair without the owner noticing and dropped them inside the Golden Perfect. The potion quietly hissed turned a tinge of white. Akko resisted the urge to sigh in relief and stepped lightly over to the cabinet, depositing the Golden Perfect in front of Barbara so that she would know to add it. Barbara nodded subtly and uncorked the potion, spilling at least two drops in one of the cups of sweet smelling tea she had prepared.

"Oh, thank you, Ophiuchus," Diana's said politely behind them.

Akko turned around and nearly tripped over herself. A long, pale albino snake was slithering over the backrest of the sofa, carrying a rolled-up newspaper in its mouth. Akko recognized the snake straight away: it was the serpent that had spied on her during the attacks on Lightning and Kowata sisters. Diana scratched the snake's chin endearingly as she took the paper, watching it slither back up to the dormitories, and unfurled the newspaper as Barbara came back with their tea.

"Thank you, Barbara," said Diana politely. Akko watched anxiously as Diana brought the cup to her lips and took a delicate sip, gauging her response. "Mmm, this is even more heavenly then I remember. I must pay _Fleur de Lapin_ a visit when we are allowed to go into town next year."

"Tea is all right," said Barbara. "But I prefer coffee from the Rabbit House."

"Well, we'll be sure the three of us visit both next year," said Diana, who suddenly frowned as she stared at her paper. "Oh, this is unbelievable."

"What is it?" asked Barbara curiously.

Instead of answering, Diana set the paper on the coffee table and flipped it around, pointing to an article. Akko leaned in with Barbara and suddenly felt her stomach drop as she read the headlines:

 **INQUIRY AT THE MAGIC COUNCIL**

On September 1st earlier this year, two witches were spotted  
illegally flying a broom around the world. The identities of these  
witches have been confirmed as Atsuko Kagari and Amanda O'Neill.

While nothing is known about Atsuko Kagari, sources say that  
Amanda O'Neill's mother is none other than Ava O'Neill, who holds  
a seat on the Magic Council. Councilwoman O'Neill has been  
brought into question concerning her daughter's actions and  
was fined for a total of fifty thousand American dollars.

Lord Paul Hanbridge, the minister of state and a governor of Luna  
Nova Magical Academy, where the young witches attend school,  
called today for Councilwoman O'Neill resignation.

"These are the actions of a neglectful parent and a poor leader,"  
Lord Hanbridge told our reporter. "If a seat on the Magic Council is  
allowed to let their own child go unpunished for a serious offense,  
how can we trust her to keep all Demi-Humans in check?"

The Magic Council has not issued a statement whether or not  
Councilwoman O'Neill will be expelled from her seat, but Chairman  
Crawford has assured us that the matter is being handled.

"I can't believe – no, I can believe that Lord Hanbridge would do something like this," said Diana irritably, taking another sip of her tea. "It's just like him to take advantage of a moment of weakness, no matter how small. I suppose that's how he managed to get this far ahead in his career."

"He's a politician – everyone knows they're pure evil," said Barbara, flipping the pages of the newspaper at a fast rate. "You know, I'm surprised no one has reported anything about the infection that's broken out all over school. I suppose the Headmistress is trying to keep everything all hushed up."

"She has no choice," said Diana. "Revealing this information could not only have the school permanently shut down, but we risk the infection spreading all over the planet, if it hasn't done already."

"What're you talking about?" asked Barbara curiously.

"For months now, everyone has believed that only those who have turned are infected," said Diana, softening her voice while glancing at the other Lunar girls in the room. "But the truth is, it's not just those who have become those…things. I'm afraid everyone in Luna Nova is already infected."

"Wait, what?" said Barbara shockingly. "But that can't be true. If it was, how come the whole school isn't like those c-list zombie apocalypse movies?"

"The infection is not a mutation, it's more akin to mind control," said Diana gravely. "I've been doing my own research since Lightning was turned and I stole a peek at some of Professor Croix's notes when I was helping her in her office. Apparently, the infection can go unnoticed until the controller – the Plague-Bearer, as everyone has been calling it – initiates whatever triggers the mutated cells in the brain and turns them into one of those monsters, allowing them full control over their minds and bodies."

"Well, isn't there anything we can do to stop that from happening?" asked Barbara.

"Nothing permanent," said Diana, shaking her head sadly. "I've been using a special cocktail based on Professor Croix's notes and borrowing ingredients from Professor Hex's lab. It's only a temporary solution, but it momentarily renders the infection inert."

Akko's mind was spinning. Diana definitely knew more about what was going on than most people in the castle, but it hasn't confirmed if she was the Plague-Bearer.

"Then…it can be stopped, right?" said Barbara hopefully. "If Professor Croix has notes about a temporary vaccine, then that means she can make a permanent one, right?"

"I'm…not so sure about that," said Diana.

"Whatd'ya mean?" asked Barbara.

"I noticed something odd about the notes when I saw them," said Diana. "Professor Croix likes to date all over her research so she can keep track of them…. When I stole a peek into Professor Croix's vaccine…I noticed that the paper was dated over twenty years ago."

"You mean, Professor Croix has had the vaccine even before the infection started?" gaped Barbara; Akko's mouth fell open as well, but no one saw it. "But why? How could she even come up with a vaccine for a disease that hasn't even been invented yet?"

"I was curious about that myself, so I did a little research," said Diana seriously. "I remembered that Professor Croix was expelled from Luna Nova during her sixth year, but it never said why. After scanning through old newspapers around that time in the Reference Achieves, I found one article that stood out. It said that exactly twenty years ago, a student was killed in Luna Nova. It never said how she died because the teachers and the governors were all trying to hush it up, but they promised that the one responsible was removed from the school immediately after. After looking back at Professor Croix's record, I noticed that she was expelled the day before the article was published. The time frame is too close to contribute it as pure coincidence."

"So are you telling me," said Barbara slowly, "that you think Professor Croix actually created this infection over twenty years ago, but got caught and was expelled for it, and now she's trying over again? Well, then why haven't you said anything to the headmistress? Why isn't that lunatic locked up in Dol Guldur, the Demi-Human prison?"

"I don't think that Croix is the one behind this?" said Diana, her brow furrowed.

"But all the pieces fit, don't they?" said Barbara. "You said she created the vaccine over twenty years ago – "

"Yes, she created the vaccine, but that doesn't mean she made the disease," said Diana quickly. "It could have been that this infection happened before and Professor Croix was trying to stop it then, but she was expelled before she could complete it. We don't have all the evidence to prove that she did it. The story could have been easily twisted to make it seem as if Professor Croix was the perpetrator and the real villain is still roaming around free."

Barbara fell back in her chair with a heavy sigh and Akko shifted uncomfortably between her feet. This was getting way out of hand. The more information Diana was revealing, the less she understood who or what the cause was for this plague that was haunting their school.

"So…you have no idea who the Plague-Bearer might be?" groaned Barbara.

"I know who it is," said Diana.

Barbara and Akko shot forward, almost colliding with one another as they leaned over the table.

"What? But you said – "

"I said I don't know who created the virus," said Diana calmly, "and I don't know who the Plague-Bearer was twenty years ago, but I know who is responsible for all of the incidents occurring now. You see, at first, I had feared that I might have been the Plague-Bearer – "

"Because you bit the captain and she went all zombie?" offered Barbara.

"Yes, that was originally why I went searching for a possible vaccine," said Diana, grimacing slightly. "I had hoped that if I could put a temporary stop to my own infection, I would be able to put a stop to everything and maybe even revive the captain. But that night when Evie Winters was infected, I had already injected myself before I went to sleep and she still ended up turning. The same thing happened when we went to the Dueling Club; I had already dosed myself half an hour before it happened, but it didn't change anything. I came to the conclusion that I couldn't be the Plague-Bearer."

"Then how did you figure out who the real bad guy is?" asked Barbara. "Why haven't you gone to the Headmistress with this."

"It's a lot more complicated than that," said Diana, staring down into her tea. "The Cavendish family have a long history as healers, so I noticed the infection sooner than anyone else. Unfortunately, I couldn't say anything because the infection was fighting against me, trying to keep me silent. Even now" – she gripped her arm, which was shaking slightly – "the infection is trying to stop me from saying who the real culprit is. But as I said just now, I come from a long line of healers. My family has invented many techniques to trace viruses and plagues to their origin so as to remove them from the source."

"And you used that technique to trace it back to the Plague-Bearer," said Barbara. "Well, don't keep me in suspense. Who is it?"

"The Plague Bearer is…."

Akko and Barbara leaned in closer, anxiety racing up and down their spines. This was it. They were finally going to find out who the real Plague-Bearer was.

"….Wait a minute," said Diana suddenly. "Why am I telling you all this? I – I never told this to anyone. How could - ?" She looked down at her teacup, eyes going wide, as she took a long sniff. "Golden Perfect – a truth potion. I thought the tea was a little sweeter than normal. But that means…. Akko, are you here?"

"Abort mission! Abort missions!" Barbara shrieked, flailing her arms and making a mad dash for the dorms.

Akko wasted no time as she sprinted the length of the Lunar common room while Diana reached out in every direction trying to grab her while the other Lunar students looked around cluelessly at the sudden disruption. She hurled herself through the portrait and dashed up the passage, when she heard Diana followed her out and started shouting like a madwoman.

"Akko, you have to listen to me! You're being deceived! The real Plague-Bearer is – "

It probably would have been a better idea to stick around and listen to what she had to say, but Akko's mind and body were so accustomed to running away when she was in trouble that she was acting on pure instinct. She crashed through the darkened corridors, not even noticing Elma until she accidentally knocked her off the spiraling staircase, sending her plummeting back to the ground floor. Akko didn't stop running until she burst into the Polaris common room where Lotte and Sucy were waiting by the fire.

"So, how'd it go?" asked Sucy.

"You guys aren't going to believe what just happened?" said Akko anxiously as she removed her ring, appearing before the two. "I think I might – "

Then, without warning, Akko began to feel a sharp, blistering pain in her head; her ears were ringing and her eyes were burning. She didn't know what was happening, but it felt like her entire head was about to explode. Akko clutched her head and screamed as horribly pain started to rack her body, making Lotte and Sucy jump up from their seats. She dropped to her knees and fell sideways, curling up in a ball as her friends rushed to her aid. They were saying something, but their voices sounded a million miles away. Akko's eyes started to feel heavy, her senses leaving her….

She saw brief flashes of people: a tall man in a black coat and dark sunglasses, a lavender-haired girl with glasses in a Luna Nova uniform, a short woman with graying green hair, and black beast with glowing red markings.

She could hear voices, like distant echoed:

" – _circumstances have changed –_ "

" – _will all end soon enough –_ "

" – _Keep it safe, no matter what –_ "

" – _have known this was coming –_ "

" – _Swear to god, you'll pay -_ "

" – _farewell, Croix._ "

And the world faded to black.

* * *

 **Admit it, you all hate me for teasing you right now, don't ya? I would say that this has certainly been one of the most complicated chapters I have ever written, trying to add my own little twists and turns without spoiling the overall plot. Well, we learned that Diana is not the Plague-Bearer and the possibility that Croix is innocent as well, but then who does that leave in terms of suspects, you might ask. Oh, believe me, whoever you think it is, you only know half of the answer.**

 **Next chapter: Croix Meridies**


	13. Croix Meridies

**kko Kagari and the Evil Within**

 **Chapter Thirteen: Croix Meridies**

Akko had her own bed reserved in the hospital wing complete with a gilded plaque at the end for the number of times she had visited. Two more trips and she would break the all-time school record, according to Porlyusica. After the little scare in the common room, Akko had suddenly realized she had been unconscious for nearly a week and that the new school term was about to start. Students were already coming back from holidays and a flurry of rumors started to sprout ranging from Akko being a victim of the virus, or, more commonly, that Akko was faking sickness to throw off suspicion. So many students filed past the hospital wing trying to catch a glimpse of her, but Porlyusica quickly shuffled them out before they could get too far.

Lotte and Sucy had visited her every day since she collapsed. Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka joined them when they returned from holidays.

"And you have no idea what happened?" asked Amanda for what seemed like the millionth time.

"I told you, I don't remember anything," said Akko impatiently, crossing her arms over her chest in a huff. "All I remember is coming back to the common room to tell Lotte and Sucy what I learned when I suddenly had this really painfully headache and then I blacked out. I do remember seeing somethings before I got knocked out – kinda of like…flashes of memories, except I know they weren't mine."

"If what Diana said was true, then that might have been the Plague-Bearer trying to keep you quiet," said Lotte thoughtfully. "Whoever it was probably tried to turn you so you wouldn't say anything. But…it didn't work. For some reason, the infection didn't take to you like it did the others."

"Porlyusica said your immune system stopped the virus before it could spread," said Sucy. "I guess even your white blood cells are stubborn."

"And we have no idea who the Plague-Bearer is?" asked Akko.

"No," said Jasminka gloomily.

"I was so _sure_ it was Diana," said Amanda, grimacing.

"Akko, what's that?" asked Lotte, pointing to a folded card that Akko had been using as a coaster.

"Oh, that's just a get-well card from Professor Crème," said Akko casually.

"What?" Lotte shrieked, snatching the card out from under Akko's glass, tipping it sideways and splashing Akko in the face. Lotte ignored her sputtering, flicked open the card, and read aloud:

" ** _To Miss Kagari, wishing you a speedy recovery, and looking forward to seeing you in class soon, from your concerned teacher, Annabel Crème._** "

Lotte slowly turned her head around; Akko could feel the heat coming off of Lotte's glare.

"You got a free autograph from Annabel Crème while I had to give away the only copy I had to get some dumb book?"

Akko tried to stutter a response when Porlyusica came around brandishing a broom that was most definitely not used for flying.

"All right, you're feeling good enough to leave, so get out!" yelled Porlyusica, promptly whacking Akko over the head.

"Ow! Why is it always me?" whined Akko as she and her friends scuttled out of the hospital wing before she could take another swing. "I think she just hates me."

"To be fair, most of the teachers hate you," said Amanda teasingly.

"Amanda, that's rude," Jasminka chastised her; Constanze nodded in agreement.

"Well, she's not wrong," said Sucy plainly. "Hey, can we should stop by the abandoned tower while we still have a chance?"

"How come?" asked Akko curiously.

"Well, after you were unconscious for a week, we haven't had much time to go back there," said Sucy. "There's still a whole cauldron of Golden Perfect at the top of the stairs. Since it's been a week, the potion's effectiveness should only be at half strength, but it's still strong enough to force the truth out of anyone who might drink it. If someone else finds it, we could be in a whole lot of trouble; might even get expelled."

"Why would you make an entire cauldron of truth serum if you were only going to use a small vial of it?" asked Akko, raising her brow.

"I was planning I dosing you whenever the opportunity arose," said Sucy with a small smile. "But since you were conked out for a whole week, I never got the chance to use it. Too bad. It would have been hilarious to watch you confess your love for Diana during lunch."

"SUCY!" Akko cried embarrassingly.

They laughed and pointed the entire way down the spiral staircase and through the sweeping front lawn towards the New Moon Tower at Akko's expense. But as they reached the edge of the Arcturus Forest, they heard a voice coming through the trees, which sounded quite hysterical. Everyone ducked out of sight and inclined their heads around the tree trunks as the voice got closer. A few seconds later, Croix walked briskly past them, muttering rapidly under her breath.

" – _find it in the first place? Don't tell me they – no, Croix, don't think like that. Everything is secure; nobody found anything. My god, this situation is spiraling out of control. Maybe I should tell the Headmistress_ – "

Her voice receded as she marched up the front lawn back to the castle. Akko looked around at her friends, who looked just as confused as her.

"What was that about?" said Amanda.

"It looked like she was coming from the tower," said Lotte. "You think she was visiting her old lab."

They let the thought linger in their brains for a moment…before they made a mad dash for the tower. The heavy stone doors were left ajar, sending a thrill of panic through them as they stepped inside. Akko stopped in her tracks, making everyone behind bump into her and nearly knocking her over.

The tower was in shambles: the hundreds of stone sentinels that watched over the spiral staircase were crumbled all over the floor, some of them severed in half and others so badly crushed they may as well have been a fine powder. Several steps had been broken off in whatever battle had gone down, but not enough to make it impossible to climb. When they reached the top step, Akko felt relieved when they found the vault door in perfect condition with not even a scratch on it. Although, judging by the jagged cuts and blast marks on the walls around it, it looked like someone had tried very hard.

Constanze made a series of hand gestures, which Amanda translated, "Constanze says it doesn't look like anyone got inside. See the creases? They're not scratched up like they would be if they did."

"Well, that's good," said Lotte relieved. "I don't want to imagine what Professor Croix is keeping in there."

"Something dangerous, I can guarantee you."

The girls jumped at the new voice and spun around. Alessa Gillespie was sitting on the edge of the pillar with her feet dangling, her blackened skin blending almost perfectly with the shadows.

"Oh, hey, Alessa, how's it going?" Sucy waved casually.

"Oh, you know, the usual," said Alessa. "Being dead and contemplating the pointlessness of life."

"Cool," said Sucy.

"Alessa, what are you doing here?" asked Akko.

"I live here, remember?" said Alessa, sounding irritated by the dumb question. "I'm guessing you all saw Croix on the way here. She looked like she was about to rip her own hair out, though I can't be surprised by the way they took out her security system."

"Security system?" Lotte repeated. "You mean those statues downstairs."

"They're called Golems," said Alessa. "Croix created them when she was still in school. She was super paranoid about people sneaking into her lab and stealing all her secrets."

"Is that how you know Croix?" asked Jasminka. "Because she made her lab in your tower?"

"…Yeah, something like that," said Alessa, looking away.

"What happened?" asked Akko. "It looks like a freight train ran through here. Was someone trying to break into Croix's lab?"

"They definitely tried, that's for sure," said Alessa. "It started happening little under a week ago when someone tried sneaking into the tower somewhere around midnight. I was just sitting up here, minding my own business, imagining what would happen if I passed on, when someone comes barging in through the front doors. I thought it might have been one of you girls trying to get your potion back, but then the Golems started coming to life and attacking. The intruder tried to fight back, but the Golems are pretty strong. Whoever it was only managed to take out two of them before they were punted out of the tower.

"I thought that was the last time I would see them, but they came back a couple days later. I don't know what changed, but the intruder was suddenly ripping through the Golems like they were wet toilet paper. I kinda ducked out when they reached the top floor – I wasn't going to take a chance of them being able to destroy poltergeists. I was watching them from my hiding spot in the window when I saw they trying to break into Croix's old lab. They threw a lot of magic around, but they couldn't even scratch the surface. They didn't give up until the sun started to rise and ran out of here like a bat out of hell. I haven't seen them since then."

"Do you know who it was?" asked Lotte.

"No idea; they wore a hood the whole time," said Alessa, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

"Why were they trying to get inside Croix's lab?" asked Akko. "Is there something in there someone might want?"

"I have no clue," said Alessa honestly. "Croix outfitted the lab with Nth metal. The stuff is even stronger than vibranium; not even a ghost can pass through it without getting blasted into a million pieces. Like I said, Croix was super paranoid."

"Wait a minute," said Sucy, strolling around the chamber, looking back and forth. "What happened to the cauldron of Golden Perfect that was here?"

"The intruder took it," said Alessa. "Guess they didn't want to leave here empty handed."

"Do you realize what this means?" Sucy hissed in Akko's ear. "Now there's someone running around with a potentially dangerous truth serum. If they manage to slip it inside someone's drink without them knowing, they would be forced to spill all of their secrets against their wills, including the teachers."

"Forget about being expelled," Amanda cringed. "If anyone finds out we made that potion, we'll probably be hauled off to jail. The public can't handle large amounts of truth – society itself will spiral into chaos."

"Is there anything else you can tell us, Alessa?" asked Lotte hopefully. "Anything at all."

"Hmm…nothing I can tell you about the person who was trying to break in," Alessa hummed thoughtfully. "But I did notice that Croix dropped something while she was here a little while ago. It's over there, fell out of her pocket when she was leaving…."

Akko and the others looked in a small corner tucked underneath the laboratory vault where Alessa was pointing. It was looked like one of Croix's magic cubes, but it was somehow different. The light it was giving off was a grayish-white color and the normally diamond pattern was replaced by an embellished "X". Akko stepped forward to pick it up, but Constanze suddenly flung out an arm to hold her back.

"What?" said Akko.

"Constanze has the right idea, Akko?" Amanda once again translated Constanze's silence. "You shouldn't touch something without knowing what it is. It could be dangerous."

"Come on, how could it be dangerous?" said Akko.

"You've seen what she can do with those weird cubes of hers," said Amanda. "For all we know, it could turn into a troll or a giant dragon or maybe even a nuclear monster missile."

"A nuclear monster missile," said Akko, laughing. "There's no way something like that could ever happen in real life."

"I'm just saying, if you going to be picking it up, at least be careful," said Amanda, throwing her hands up in surrender.

"Well, we won't find out unless we look at it," said Akko, and she ducked around Constanze and picked it up off the floor.

The cube didn't react to Akko's touch, which was an immense relief knowing it wasn't suddenly going to turn into a giant spider or something. She rolled it around in her hand, inspecting the cube from every angle, but couldn't see how this device was any different than the ones Croix usually had. She tried tapping it, slapping it, spouting out random words, and even tried biting it - the cube remained the same throughout.

"Maybe it something that only Croix can activate," Lotte suggested.

"Ah, I bet Constanze can crack it open," said Amanda confidently, snatching the cube from Akko's hand. "Just give her a few hours and she'll tell us what's so special about this thing, right, Constanze?"

The diminutive witch gave her a thumbs-up.

"I really think we should return it to Professor Croix," said Lotte nervously. "It might be something important."

"Which is all the more reason why we should keep it," said Akko firmly. "Diana said Professor Croix is keeping some kind of secret. Maybe this will tell us a little bit more about what's really happening at school."

"It would have also been easier if you had just stuck around long enough for Diana to tell you who the Plague-Bearer is," Sucy reminded.

Akko was strangely quiet on the way back to the castle.

* * *

But the promised hours turned into weeks with Constanze throwing everything she had at her scientific disposal and still ending up no closer to solving the mystery of the strange cube. Before they knew it, it was the beginning of February. One evening in the Polaris common room, Akko, Lotte, Sucy, Amanda, and Jasminka were all lounging around the fireplace when Constanze stomped up and slammed the cube on the table with a frustrated growl.

"Still can't figure it out, huh?" said Amanda as she plopped on the couch. "Guess I might have oversold your skills."

"We really should give it back to Professor Croix," said Lotte as Akko picked it up, juggling it between her hands. "I don't know what you're hoping to find from it. It might not even be anything that important."

"If it's not important, Professor Croix wouldn't be trying to hide it so well," Akko explained logically. "Constanze tried everything she knows and we even tried to get Barbara's help. Neither one of them could figure out how it works. Professor Croix is definitely hiding something in here. I just know it."

"I went back to the abandoned tower a couple times," said Sucy, "wanted to see if I could find anything that could tell us who took the Golden Perfect. I saw Professor Croix coming from the tower a few times. Seems like she looking for whatever is inside that cube."

"Which gives us an even bigger reason to find out what's inside it," said Akko, glaring at the cube as if it would open if she stared long enough. "Diana said that Professor Croix knew about the virus before it even happened. Like twenty years ago. Said she had been working on a cure since then."

"But the question is how she even knew about the virus in the first place when this is the first time it's ever shown up," said Amanda frowning. "You think she might have gone all mad scientist and created the virus by accident and that's why she got expelled?"

"Diana seems to think someone else caused it and framed Professor Croix for it," said Akko, suddenly flailing her arms in aggravation. "GAH! I hate stupid mysteries! Why can't anyone just give a straight answer for once?"

"Because I'm pretty sure most of the people in this school aren't straight," said Amanda jokingly.

* * *

Akko couldn't explain, even to herself, why she seemed so sure that this tiny cube held the answers she was looking for. Like Lotte had repeatedly told her, there was no evidence to suggest that the tiny electronic square held anything of value to their growing list of problems. But the fact of the matter is, Akko kept absentmindedly picking it up and rolling it around in her hands, as though it was like a tiny puzzle just waiting to be solved. It had become an obsession to Akko, almost as much as her great admiration for Shiny Chariot. Sometimes at night, Akko would lie awake at night, Blair curled up against her chest, staring at the picture Professor Ursula had given to her as a gift last year. It was the only picture she had of her mother outside of Shiny Chariot paraphernalia. Her mother – Chariot – in the middle of her circle of friends, a teenage Blair and the mysterious Izetta on her right side and Diana's mother on her left. And there, at the very end of the row, was Croix Meridies, staring at Akko as if challenging her.

Akko was determined to find out more about Professor Croix, so next day at break, she headed for the trophy room to examine any special awards she might have received during her time at school, accompanied by her friends, except for Amanda, who told them she'd seen enough of the trophy room from her time in detention.

As it turned out, Croix had accomplished a number of impressive feats including, but not limited to: The Golden Ash Prize, Moonlit Witch, The Chariot Racing Cup – Gold Medal, the Woodward Prize in Numerology, and the Jennifer Award for her thesis on magic circle analysis.

"She's a total overachiever," said Akko, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Moonlit witch, Racing champion, science awards…probably top of every class – "

"I think we just got a glimpse at Diana's future," said Sucy.

* * *

The sun had now begun to shine weakly on Luna Nova again, Inside the castle, the mood had grown more hopeful. There had been no more attacks since those of Makoto and Akane, and Professor Croix was please to announce that she was close to finalizing the first batch of vaccines for testing.

"The moment the calcium solidifies, we can incorporate the mixture that's been stewing for the past two weeks," Akko heard her telling Professor Ursula confidently one afternoon. "We still have to go through preliminary trials, but any mistakes that are made can be used to learn from and improve the vaccine. With any luck, we'll have all those poor girls infection free within a couple of months."

Perhaps the real Plague-Bearer had lost her nerve, thought Akko. With Diana aware of the true Plague-Bearer's identity and their failure to turn Akko, not to mention with the whole school so alert and suspicious, it could only get riskier and riskier to make any moves. Perhaps the Plague-Bearer had decided that it was time to cut their losses….

Alice Little of Twilight didn't take this cheerful view. She was still convinced that Akko was the guilty one, that she had "given herself away" at the Dueling Club. Mr. Myxzptlk wasn't helping matters; he kept popping up in the crowded corridors singing his rendition of "Akko the Evil", a nauseous little aria about Akko's supposedly wicked deeds, which also including an admittedly impressive dance number.

Annabel Crème seemed to think none of this Plague-Bearer business had anything to do with her. Akko overheard her tell Professor Holbrooke so as they were passing by in the halls.

"If the Purifiers are really the source of this plague, then I really have nothing to be concerned with," she said, twirling her fountain pen between her fingers. "To be perfectly honest, I shouldn't have even been here from the start, but my mama – I mean, my publisher seemed to think it would be good for me. I have no idea what she was hoping for…sending me to a school for demi-humans. As if I didn't feel like an outsider enough – "

"I'm sure your mother had a very good reason for wanting you to be here," said Professor Holbrooke, turning the corner and completely missing Akko as they walked by. "A parent's main concern is for the well-being of their child. Though this was probably the worst time for your to arrive, Professor Crème, with all this Purifier tragedy going about…. You know, what the school needs now is a morale-booster. Wash away the memories of last term! Yes, I think I know just the thing…."

Akko didn't hear the rest as they disappeared down the corridor.

Professor Holbrooke's idea of a morale-booster became clear at breakfast time on February fourteenth. Akko hadn't had much sleep because of a late-running Racing practice the night before, and she hurried down to the dining hall, slightly late. She thought, for a moment, that she'd walked through the wrong doors. She closed them, waited a full minute, and then opened them again. Nope, still there….

The walls and railings were all covered with large, lurid pink flowers. Worse still, heart-shaped confetti was falling from the ceiling. Akko went over to her usual table with her friends, where Sucy was sitting looking sickened by the sheer amount of pink, and Lotte and Jasminka had been overcome with giggles. Amanda and Constanze just went about their business like nothing was different.

"What's going on?" Akko asked them, sitting down and wiping confetti off her bacon.

Sucy pointed to the front of the hall, apparently too disgusted to speak. Professor Holbrooke, wearing a lurid pink coat topped with a heart-shaped witch's hat to match the decorations, was waving for silence. The teachers on either side of her were looking stony-faced. From where she sat, Akko could see a muscle going in Professor Finnelan's cheek. Professor Ymir looked as though someone had just fed her a large bottle of osteo-peroxide. The only one who didn't seem to object to the decorations was Professor Hex, but only because he was openly staring at Professor Cosmos.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Professor Holbrooke shouted. "As you can see, I have taken the liberty of arranging this little surprise for you all – and it doesn't end here!"

Professor Holbrooke clapped her hands and through the doors to the entrance hall marched a dozen surly-looking goblins. Akko had seen these goblins before; they were usually in charge of cutting the lawns and cleaning the windows. But it looked like Professor Holbrooke had gotten them to all wear golden wings and carry harps.

"My friendly, card-carrying cupids!" beamed Professor Holbrooke. "They will be roving around the school today delivering your valentines! And the fun doesn't stop here! I'm sure my colleagues will want to enter into the spirit of the occasion. Why not ask Professor Hex to show you how to whip up a love potion! And while you're at it, Professor Ursula will doubtlessly be eager to read fortunes for your love life! She may look timid, but she was actually quite the charmer in her younger days!"

Professor Ursula buried her face in her hands, her ears going bright red. Hex jumped when his name was mentioned, quickly hiding a vial of pink liquid that he had been dangling over Professor Cosmos' cup.

"This is the most horrible, disgusting thing I have ever had the misfortune of witnessing in my life," said Sucy with a grimace. "Akko, if there's any chance you are the Plague-Bearer, could you infect me so I can be locked up in quarantine?"

All day long, the goblins kept barging into their classes to deliver valentines, to the annoyance of the teachers. Unsurprisingly, most of the Valentines were for Diana, who was remarkably dignified during the whole thing, politely listening to the notes from her many admirers and thanking the goblin for their time. But later that afternoon as they were walking upstairs for Magic Astrology, one of the goblins caught up with Akko's group.

"Oy, you! Amanda O'Neill!" shouted a particularly grim-looking goblin, elbowing people out of the way to get to Amanda.

Look particularly red in the face at the thought of being given a valentine in front of everyone, Amanda pivoted on her heel and tried to make a break for it. However, Jasminka lifted her up by the nape of her tunic with a placid smile, refusing to let Amanda down until the goblin was standing in front of them.

"I've got a musical message to deliver to Amanda O'Neill in person," he said, twanging his harp in a threatening sort of way.

" _Not here_ ," Amanda hissed, trying to escape yet again.

"Amanda, please stay still," said Jasminka, pulling her back even hard when she broke out in a desperate run.

"Screw that! Let me go!" Amanda snarled.

With a loud ripping noise, the back of Amanda's tunic tore and she inadvertently crashed into Akko. They both crashed into the floor and Akko's bag spilled open, dumping out all the contents including her books, wand, and papers. Akko pushed Amanda off and lifted herself up, suddenly hissing when her hand accidentally got stabbed by the pointed end of one of her pencils. She looked at her palm; a small drop of blood was spilling from the open wound.

Amanda, meanwhile, was scrambling around on all fours trying to flee before the goblin started singing, causing something of a holdup in the corridors.

"What's going on here?" came the drawling voice of Diana Cavendish.

"What's all the commotion?" said another familiar voice as Professor Ursula arrived.

Before Amanda could make it more than two paces, the goblin tackled her from behind and pinned her to the ground, sitting on her back so that she couldn't get up. Goblins might be small, but they were surprisingly heavy when they wanted to be.

"Right," he said, ignoring Amanda's flailing. "Here's your singing valentine:

 _Her hair is as fiery as an engine's combust,  
Sweet, courageous, strong, and just,  
I wish she was mine, she's really divine,  
Please, won't you be my Valentine?_

Akko tried to be a good friend – she really did – but after listening to the goblin's squeaky voice trying to form any sense of rhythm, she couldn't help laughing out loud with the rest of the crowd. Amanda's covered her face with her hands, too embarrassed to be seen, as Professor Ursula did her best to disperse the crowd, some of whom were in tears from laughing so hard.

"Off you go, off you go, the bell rang five minutes ago, off to class, now," she said, shooing some of the younger students away. "That includes you, Miss Cavendish – "

Akko, glancing over, saw Diana stoop and pick up something. She realized a moment too late it was Professor Croix's Magitronic cube. She was looking it over suspiciously as she turned to Akko, who stepped up to her quickly.

"Give that back, Diana," said Akko quietly.

"This is one of Professor Croix's devices," said Diana, lowering her voice so that Professor Ursula wouldn't overhear them. "Why do you have this?"

"The same reason as you," said Akko. "I need to find out who the real Plague-Bearer is. Unless you're going to tell me now."

"The Golden Perfect you drugged me with overrode the virus temporarily to let me speak," said Diana sternly. "I'm still not happy about that, by the way, but I understand why you did it – Barbara told me afterwards. But it doesn't matter because the person who is controlling the virus is keeping me from saying anything. Unless you have more Golden Perfect that can be used – "

"Someone stole the rest of the batch," said Akko.

"Probably didn't want to take the risk again," said Diana. "Akko, just…don't believe everything you hear, all right?"

"All right, that's enough, you two," said Professor Ursula, clapping her hands to call for their attention. "Class has already started. Everyone inside before I start marking tardies."

Diana discreetly handed Akko the cube behind their backs when Ursula wasn't looking and walked ahead inside. Akko stooped to collect her things off the ground when she heard Jasminka whispering to Constanze, "Maybe it would have been better to give her the Valentines directly."

Constanze covered her face with her hands and ran into class.

It wasn't until she was sitting in her desk near the front of Ursula's class when something strange happened with the unusual cube device. Akko was pulling out all her supplies when she realized she was smearing blood all over them from the wound in her hand. She groaned internally and tried looking for something to wipe it with in her bag when her hand brushed up against the cube. The blood smeared across the surface like everything else, but a second later, it suddenly disappeared. Then white markings started to give a weak glow, and then, to Akko's amazement, it started talking:

" ** _Hello? Hello? I can't see anything! Is anyone there!_** "

Akko quickly snapped her bag shut and pushed it under the desk hoping to muffle the sound when Professor Ursula suddenly rounded to her.

"Do you have a question, Miss Kagari?" asked Ursula.

"Uh, no, no, I'm fine," said Akko nervously.

Ursula looked at her with a suspicious frown, but nonetheless turned back to the chalkboard. Akko heaved a relieved sigh and slowly pulled her bag up, opening the flap to peek inside. The cube's white glow had dimmed; the voice was no longer present. Akko tried to point this out to Lotte, but another one of Holbrooke's cupid burst into the classroom with yet another valentine for Diana and Akko suddenly lost interest in the cube.

* * *

Akko went to bed before anyone else in her dormitory that night. This was partly because Amanda started shooting her death glares when she and Blair wouldn't stop singing, "Her hair's as fiery as an engine's combust", and partly because she wanted to examine Croix's cube again, and knew that the others thought she was wasting her time.

Akko sat on her four-poster and rolled the cube around in her palm, not finding even a single speck of blood on it. She sat there staring at the cube, pondering, but knew she had to test her theory sooner or later. She hesitated for a moment before she brought her hand to her mouth and bit down hard on the bridge between her thumb and forefinger. It hurt like hell, but it did what it needed to. Blood spilled from the fresh wound and drizzled over the cube.

The blood shone brightly on the surface for a second and then, as though being sucked into the cube, vanished. The same white glow from this afternoon returned and along with the strange, electrical voice.

" ** _Oh, hello there. You're not Professor Croix? Who are you?_** "

"Um, my name is Atsuko Kagari, but my friends call me Akko," said Akko slowly. "And um…who are you?"

" ** _Oh, right, I should probably present myself fully_**."

The white cube then floated out of Akko's hand, holding itself aloft a foot from her face. A moment later, the cube started to expand outwards, creating a vertical rectangle with an empty space between the blocks. That space was soon filled by what looked like a holographic video screen and a new face appeared. She looked like a Luna Nova student a few years older than Akko with untamed lavender hair and bulky, red-rimmed glasses. Akko had seen her face before during her visit to the trophy room – it was Professor Croix when she was in school.

" ** _Hello there, Atsuko Kagari,_** " said Young Croix. " ** _Professor Croix talks about you a lot. Says you always have to put your nose into other people's business. I guess she's not wrong._** "

"Are you Professor Croix from the past?" gaped Akko. "Am I talking to you through time and space? Oh no, am I going to change history by talking to you? Does this mean monkeys are gonna take over the world?"

" ** _Calm yourself, Atsuko Kagari_** ," said Young Croix, raising her hand. " ** _No, you're not talking to me through the timestream, all though that is an interesting idea. No, I am what you would called a video diary. A sort of private cache where Professor Croix can store all of her private thoughts. Professor Croix provided me with an artificial intelligence so that she could have someone to share her thoughts with and assess her work. Though how did you manage to come across me?_** "

"Professor Croix dropped you when she was visiting the abandoned – I mean, New Moon Tower," said Akko anxiously.

" ** _Ah, so she went to visit the old lab_** ," said Young Croix, nodding solemnly. " ** _Well, it's lucky you were the one to come across this diary instead of someone else. It would have been really bad in someone with the worst intentions in mind sought this diary out._** "

"What do you mean?" Akko asked, raising herself up in excitement.

" ** _I mean that this diary holds information not only on Professor Croix's research, but also memories of terrible things. Professor Croix informed me that the Purifiers have returned to Luna Nova and that they are attempting to infect the school with another virus. Doubtlessly, from Professor Croix's description of you, that you have already started poking around._** "

"Yeah, me and my friends have been doing research of our own," said Akko quickly. "But you just said that the Purifiers returned to Luna Nova and that they're using another virus. Does that mean this all happened before?"

" ** _Yes, it happened over twenty years ago when Professor Croix was still in her sixth year, shortly before she was expelled. I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I fear that if the Purifiers have indeed return, then Professor Croix might not be around for much longer and someone needs to know everything before she is taken. The truth is that Professor Croix was always so ambitious that it became a fault. She was so blinded by her ambitions that she failed to see the danger of her own experiments. One day, she met a man who showed interest in her work and provided a substantial amount of funding for her projects. It almost seemed too good to be true – and it was. Before Croix realized what she was doing, she had already created a new bacteria called the Hive-Mind Virus._**

"The Hive-Mind Virus?" asked Akko. "What's that?"

" ** _I wish I could tell you. All I can tell you is that something happened and Professor Croix was expelled from Luna Nova because of it._** "

"But what happened to the virus?" asked Akko anxiously. "Did it escape? Did someone take it?"

" ** _I keep telling you, I don't know. I've gone over Professor Croix's file nearly ten million times and I haven't been able to find a single shred of information on the Hive-Mind Virus other than a few brief mentions in her recent journal entries. You have to remember that this happened during a time when computer sciences were still in the stone age. Any information pertaining to the bacteria was handwritten on paper. Any notes that she downloaded on the server about the bacteria was so heavily redacted that every time I try to access them, I get stuck in the Screens of Death for weeks. Professor Croix is extremely thorough in trying to keep that information away, which is kind of a bad move considering her current situation._** "

"What do you mean?" asked Akko.

" ** _Professor Croix and I have calculated the possibility of her new strain of vaccine working and…well, the odds are against us. Professor Croix is hesitant to go through with the preliminary trials because she doesn't know if it will help, or only make their conditions worse. Without Croix's original notes, she's flying blind on this._** "

"Then why doesn't Croix go looking for her old notes?" asked Akko.

" ** _Because she doesn't know where they are. Professor Croix made sure that when she hid them that not even she would know where to look. Again, kind of a bad call._** "

"Do you at least have some hint about what happened to her research?" said Akko, hope slowly slipping away with each passing second. "Please, there has to be something we can do. At this rate, the entire school is gonna be zombified."

" ** _Hmm…well, I think there might be one thing that could help. It was the night after Professor Holbrooke hired Professor Croix on the teaching staff. But it would be too difficult to explain; I'll have to show it to you. I can electronically connect the data into your brain stem, allowing you to see events as they happened. Would that be okay with you?_** "

Akko hesitated for a moment. Science was never Akko's best subject (most subjects were not her best subject), but she understood enough that hooking your brain up to a talking video screen was probably not the best idea. But then again, she needed to find out what happened if there was any chance of saving everyone in quarantine. She glanced nervously at the door to the dormitory, which was growing dark. She looked back at the diary, slowly nodded and said:

"Okay."

Young Croix vanished from the screen, leaving it completely black. Then a neon-green text started typing across the screen spelling "June 13th, 2008" – Akko would have almost been a year old around this time. Mouth hanging open, Akko saw a tiny little square of light slowly expanding across the screen. Her hands trembling slightly, Akko pulled the device closer to her eye against the little window, and before she knew what was happening, she was tilting forwards; the window was widening, she felt her body leave her bed, and she was pitched headfirst through the opening in the screen, into a whirl of color and shadow.

She felt her feet hit solid ground, and stood, shaking, as the blurred shapes around her came suddenly into focus.

She immediately knew where she was. This small square room with immaculate statues of nine witches hats under the wide windows was Professor Holbrooke's office. And sitting at her claw-footed desk was Professor Holbrooke herself, reading a letter by candlelight. Akko sputtered and flailed her arms in a panic.

"Uh, uh, I'm sorry Professor Holbrooke!" she squeaked like a frightened little mouse. "I swear, I didn't mean to – "

But Professor Holbrooke didn't look up. She continued to read, frowning slightly. Akko drew closer to her desk and stammered, "Er – I guess I should get going, huh?"

Still Professor Holbrooke ignored her. She didn't seem to have even heard her. Akko raised her voice.

"Hey, granny, can ya hear me? Hello!" she half-shouted.

Professor Holbrooke folded up the letter with a sigh, stood up, walked past Akko without glancing at her, and went to draw the curtains at her window.

The sky outside was ruby-red; it seemed to be sunset. Professor Holbrooke went back to the desk, sat down, and twiddled her thumbs, watching the door.

It took Akko a moment to realize that even though everything looked the same, this was not the Luna Nova that she presently knew. The date on the screen had said that this was the year 2008, which mean that Akko had been flung into a memory of the past and she was little more than a phantom, completely invisible to everyone. Akko wondered why she was seeing this memory when Professor Croix was nowhere to be seen.

Her question was soon answered by a knock at the office door.

"Enter," said Professor Holbrooke.

A very tall, blonde-haired man entered the room. He was built like a tank and dressed in heavy-looking black clothes, even wearing dark sunglasses inside that just screamed bad guy. Before he slammed the door behind him and approached the headmistress, a single cube managed to slip through the crack in the door and hovered near the ceiling out of sight. Ah, so that's how Croix knew, thought Akko.

"Good evening, Miranda," said the tall man smoothly.

"Wesker," said Professor Holbrooke, keeping an even tone. "I'm surprised you showed up at Luna Nova so blatantly, given your current world status."

"Well, to be fair, I did send a letter ahead of time out of common courtesy," said Wesker politely, folding his hands behind his back.

"Yes, I've just finished reading it," said Professor Holbrooke, gesturing to the folded letter. "I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised by your arrival. You've always been obsessed with Croix – I'm sorry, Professor Croix. Still having to get used to calling her that nowadays."

"I was quite surprised myself when I heard the news," said Wesker. "Didn't you have her expelled years ago for illegal experimentation and for killing a student?"

"No such evidence of Croix's supposed virus was ever recovered and the girl's body was never found," said Professor Holbrooke professionally. "The only evidence we had was your word, back when you arrested Croix – I mean, Professor Croix. I don't know how you managed to convince the governors to agree with you, but it was only because that lot wished to save face that we were forced to expel one of Luna Nova's finest students."

"And now circumstances have changed, haven't they?" said Wesker knowingly.

"Well, does it come as a surprise to you?" said Professor Holbrooke, clicking her tongue impatiently. "The whole world knows about your affiliation with the Umbrella Corporation and your ties to the Raccoon City Incident as well as your involvement in similar incidents in Antarctica and Spain. The United Nations has deemed you a terrorist and a global threat. It was only natural that the Magic Council would overturn Croix – Professor Croix's – case."

"And yet you still let me walk in through the front door," said Wesker, smirking.

"I know the type of man you are, Albert Wesker," said Holbrooke with a deep scowl. "If I didn't agree to let you enter Luna Nova unopposed, you would have come up with another plan that would hurt the students as well as the people in the neighboring town. No doubt with one of those biology weapons you keep making."

"They're called Bio-Organic Weapons – B.O.W.s," said Wesker. "And yes, I would have done something like that if you did not comply. I'm glad you were sensible enough to avoid any unnecessary conflict."

"I don't know what it is you are planning from all this, Wesker," said Professor Holbrooke seriously, "but if you bring harm to any of my students – "

"Don't worry, I have nothing to gain from attacking little witches," said Wesker, waving his hand causally. "Like I explained in my letter, I simply wish to speak to your new teacher. Once we're finished, I will leave quietly."

"I don't trust you," said Professor Holbrooke.

"And that's why you are the Headmistress," said Wesker, turning his back to Professor Holbrooke and walking to the door. "Don't worry, this will all end soon enough."

Wesker opened the door and stepped outside; the cube followed Wesker and Akko followed the cube.

Wesker walked briskly down the darkening corridor, turning right at the corner and arriving at an intersection in the halls. Wesker stopped, and so did Akko and the cube, watching him. He slowly reached up and removed his sunglasses, revealing his eyes that were burning bright-red like a pair of shining rubies. He looked around the intersection, glancing between the ceiling and the floor, his eyes rolling in their sockets without blinking.

Then, as though finding what he was looking for, he replaced his sunglasses over his burning eyes and turned towards the left corridor. Before Akko realized what had happened, Wesker was suddenly a blur gliding down the hall. Akko yipped from the initial surprise and gave chase. They didn't see another person until they reached the entrance hall, when they a young woman with short, apple-red hair walked down from the spiraling staircase.

"You have a lot of nerve showing up here of all places, Wesker."

Akko nearly tripped over her own two feet, her jaws dropping in awe. It was none other than her mother, the famous Shiny Chariot. Akko almost didn't recognize her with her hair growing past her shoulders and dressed in unflattering sweatshirt and pants.

"This has nothing to do with you, Du Nord," said Wesker.

"You ruined my best friend's life, of course it has everything to do with me," said Chariot, leering darkly at the taller man.

"An unfortunate set of circumstances to be sure," said Wesker amusingly. "But I have permission to be here from the headmistress herself. And since you are without your Shiny Rod, there is really nothing you can do to stop me. Now, if you'll excuse me…."

He roughly shoved Chariot out of his way and continued on his path. Akko wanted nothing more than to stay behind – this could be a chance to know more about her mother – but she was propelled away from Chariot and forced to follow Wesker. He headed straight down the stone steps into the lower levels of the castle, with Akko gliding behind like a ghost.

But to Akko's disappointment, Wesker led her not into a hidden passageway or a secret tunnel but to the very dungeon in which Akko had Fundamentals of Magic Pharmaceutics with Hex. The fairies were not present to light the torches, and when Wesker pushed the door almost closed, Akko could only just see him, standing stock-still by the door, watching the passage outside.

It felt to Akko that they were there for at least an hour. All she could see was the figure of Wesker at the door, staring through the crack, waiting like a statue. And just when Akko had stopped feeling expectant and tense and started wishing she could return to the present, she heard something move beyond the door.

Someone was creeping along the passage. She heard whoever it was pass the room where she and Wesker were hidden. Wesker, quiet as a shadow, edged through the door and followed, Akko tiptoeing behind him, forgetting that she couldn't be seen or heard.

For perhaps five minutes they followed the footsteps, until Wesker stopped suddenly, his head inclined in the direction of new noises. Akko heard a door creak open, and then someone speaking in a hoarse whisper.

"Hurry up, I don't have all day…see this? Take it…yes, and make sure I don't know where it's going…Keep it safe, no matter what…."

Akko knew the owner of that voice….

Wesker suddenly jumped around the corner. Akko stepped out behind him. The first thing she saw was an eleven years younger Professor Croix, her lavender hair curled up in a neat bun, still wearing her large, red-rimmed glasses, and was wearing a teacher's uniform like the rest of the faculty. It was honestly strange for Akko to see Professor Croix look all prim and proper. Croix, for her part, didn't seem surprised by Wesker's sudden appearance, but casually sidestepped to hide something dark stooped behind her legs.

"Evening, Croix," said Wesker sharply.

"Albert Wesker," said Croix calculatedly, carefully choosing her words. "To what do I owe the honor of this surprise visit?"

"You always were a poor actor," said Wesker with a hint of amusement. "Unlike your friend, Chariot. I know you've been watching me ever since I set foot in the castle. You should have known this was coming eventually."

He gestured to the cube floating near the ceiling. Croix gave a small smile and held out her hand, drawing the cube into her palm.

"All right, so I don't have Chariot's natural talent for the theatrical arts," said Croix. "But that's not the reason why you came to me all those years ago now, is it? When you took advantage of my blind determination, and nearly caused me to ruin Luna Nova."

"Ruining this school was never my intention – " Wesker started, before being interrupted by Croix.

"Oh, come off it. I know you're a Purifier."

"I _was_ – emphasis on was," said Wesker lightly. "I never cared for their religious fanaticism and their poorly thought-out ideology. They were simply a means to an end. It was through the Purifiers that I found more…interesting friends."

"Yeah, I know all about that," said Croix. "The president of the Umbrella Corporation was one of the Purifier leaders, which is why he went into the business of producing bio-organic weapons to combat Demi-Humans. You wormed your way up to the top and purposely exposed him. Then you started jumping around between similar companies, collecting as much information on B.O.W.s as you could find. What's your latest venture called? TRICELL?"

"My, my, you have done your homework," said Wesker, sounding almost mocking. "We could discuss my business practices all day, but you know the real reason why I am here." He moved closer, standing only a foot from Croix, effortlessly towering over her. Croix bravely glared up at him. "Where is the Hive Queen?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about," said Croix immediately.

"Don't play coy with me," said Wesker, becoming visibly impatient now. "The girl's body was never found. I know you're the one who took it. Where did you hide her?"

"I couldn't tell you, even if I wanted to," said Croix. "I wiped my memory of everything to do with that project. All the information is gone, Wesker."

"Not all of it," said Wesker slowly. "You might not remember where you hid your research…but maybe your little pet does."

Faster than Akko could blink, Wesker suddenly grabbed Croix by the collar of her uniform and lifted her off the ground with the greatest of ease. Croix went to reach for her wand, but Wesker had already thrown her to the side, slamming her into the stone wall. As Wesker rounded to his target, something dark shot up from the floor and kicked against his chest, knocking Wesker to the floor and sending his sunglasses flying across the room. As he scrambled to his hands and knees, something shot past him that made Akko let out a long, piercing scream unheard by anyone –

A vast, low-slung, glistening black body and a wispy tail; a gleam of the many neon-red diamonds trailing down its sides and a row of razor-sharp teeth – the beast burst its way out of the door and scuttled down the corridor. Wesker raised himself to chase after it, but suddenly found his path blocked by a set of gigantic black boxes. Wesker clenched his fist, his burning-red eyes narrowed in anger as he directed his gaze towards Croix, who was smugly tapping away at a bulky laptop – this was before the age of smartphones, after all.

"How do you like my newest inventions," said Croix. "I call them Sorcery Units – the next step in controlled magic technology. Although this is only a rough draft; I'm thinking about compacting them into something smaller in the future."

"Hmph! Very clever," said Wesker, slowly stooping down to retrieve his sunglasses. "All right, you've won this round, but remember this, Croix: I wasn't the one who created the Hive-Mind Virus, nor was I the one who pushed you to create it. That was all you."

"…You'll pay for everything you've done, Wesker," said Croix, leering. "I swear to God, you'll pay one of these days."

"If I do, it won't be at your hand," said Wesker smugly, casually replacing his sunglasses. "Farewell, Croix…."

Wesker slammed the door behind him.

The scene whirled, the darkness became complete; Akko felt herself falling and, with a crash, she landed spread-eagle on her four-poster in the Polaris dormitory, Croix's memory cube lying in a dormant state on her stomach.

Before she had time to regain her breath, the dormitory door opened and Blair came in.

"There you are," she said.

Akko sat up. She was sweating and shaking.

"What's up?" said Blair, looking at her with concern.

"It was Croix, Blair. Professor Croix created the virus twenty years ago."

* * *

 **Honestly, nothing big or exciting happening here. So…yeah…**

 **Next Chapter: Crawford Seam**


	14. Crawford Seam

**Akko Kagari and the Evil Within**

 **Chapter Fourteen: Crawford Seam**

Akko had always known that Croix was a bit eccentric when it came to her work, often locking herself up in her laboratory for hours at a time with the end result usually being an explosion that rocked the castle. But even in the face of failure, Croix just smiled and moved on to the next thing, saying that success can only come by learning from failure. It was one of the many reasons why Akko admired the techno-witch and Constanze practically worshiped her. Unfortunately, that also meant it wasn't hard for her to believe that Croix would create the virus that was plaguing Luna Nova. Perhaps, as a girl, Croix thought it would be fun to experiment with biological chemistry, and with financial support from a benefactor, the sky was the limit for her. Akko could just imagine a sixteen-year-old Croix playing mad scientist in an underground laboratory. But she was equally certain that Croix would never have meant to hurt anybody.

Akko half wished she hadn't found out how to work Croix's video diary. When she told Blair what she had seen, the witch-cat had turned stone cold serious and told Akko – no, demanded her – not to say a word about this to anyone until the adults sorted this mess out. So, naturally, Akko told Lotte and Sucy everything.

"Everybody in the field of pharmaceuticals knows all about Wesker," said Sucy. "He was one of the biggest producers of biological weapons in the world, affiliated with a number of companies that sold B.O.W.s to warring nations."

"Do you think Wesker was the one who released the virus this time?" asked Lotte worriedly. "Professor Croix did say he worked for the Purifiers. Maybe he – "

"Sorry, but Albert Wesker died in 2009, which would be almost a year after his meeting with Professor Croix," said Sucy dreadfully. "And even if he was still alive, how would he get a hold of the virus in the first place? He went after Croix because he didn't know how to make it himself."

"Professor Croix hid her research a long time ago," said Akko miserably, "somewhere even she wouldn't know where to look."

"That was a really bad call on her part," said Sucy.

"Croix's diary said the same thing," Akko admitted.

"You met Professor Croix at Silent Hill, didn't you, Akko?" asked Lotte.

"She was looking for cheap parts for her Sorcery Units," said Akko quickly.

All three of them fell silent. After a long pause, Lotte voiced the hardest question of all in a hesitant voice.

"Do you think we should go and _ask_ Professor Croix about it all?"

"Yeah, that's be a cheerful visit," said Sucy Sarcastically. "'Hello, Professor. Tell us, have you been cooking up any pathological plagues in your lab lately?'"

In the end, they decided that they would not say anything to Croix unless there was another attack, and as more and more days went by with no whisper from the disembodied voice, they became hopeful that they would never need to talk to her about why she had been expelled. It was now nearly four months since the Kowata sisters had been turned, and nearly everybody seemed to think the Plague-Bearer, whoever it was, had retired for good. Mr. Mxyzptlk had finally gotten bored of his song and dance number, and Alice Little asked Akko quite politely to pass a bucket of leaping toadstools in Basic Herbalism one day. Sadly, the uplifting mood of the castle was slightly dampened when the results of the first preliminary trials for the vaccine came back. Professor Croix was looking more bedraggled every time they saw her.

"The cellular genome didn't take," Akko overheard Croix tell Ursula, who was pouring a cup of tea for her exhausted colleague. "There's something about this new strain that is putting up heavy resistance to the chemical intake. I don't know if it's evolving or not, but I know there's a weakness in the RNA sequence. I just can't remember what it is."

* * *

Akko went home during the Easter holidays, but not before she was given something new to think about during the break. The time had come to choose her new subjects. As opposed to her electives, which only lasted one year, she would be taking these new courses for the duration of her third, fourth, and fifth year.

"Ugh, I just don't know what to choose," Akko groaned, falling back on her bed, holding the damnable paper in the air. "This could affect my whole future."

"Ooh, how about this bird language one? That sounds like fun."

Akko raised her head, staring blankly at Hikari. The blonde vampire was lying directly next to her on the bed, pointing to one of the subjects on her form. Kyoko was sitting at her desk with her head resting on her lap, smiling politely, while Yuki and Kanna were intently focused on the new game they had brought over; Kanna was dominating the snow woman. Akko had called them over to ask for their opinions on her new courses; she would have called Shinobu's group, but their school wasn't on break yet, Umaru's group was spending the day at the beach, and Gabrial's group would mostly have to fight the angel to get her to come.

"A study of understanding the language of birds, most commonly shared among crows and owls," Akko read the description. "That sounds so boring!"

"Well, I don't know what to tell you, Akko-san," said Kyoko kindly. "We're not magically gifted like you, so we don't know anything that could help."

"Why don't you just call Nanoha-san?" asked Yuki, her tongue sticking out as she focused on the game. "Don't you both go to the same school."

"Yeah, but Nanoha went on vacation overseas with Fate – those two are so obvious," said Akko, groaning as she fell back again. "Ugh, why did Blair have to stay behind at school? The only times that I need her are whenever she's not around!"

"Poor Akko," said Kanna, shortly before obliterating Yuki's character.

"No! Not again!" Yuki cried.

"Well, I guess it all depends on what you want to do with your life, Akko-san," said Kyoko, moving over and sitting on the other side of her. "It's kind of like preparing for your future career? You say you love Magic Astrology, right? Well, it looks like this Foretelling class is being taught by the same teacher. But if you ever plan on working for the Magic Council or the Time-Space Administration Bureau, you might want to consider Magic Law. But you've always been a more of an outdoorsy and hands-on type, so maybe you'll want to consider this Study of Abnormal Creatures class. I guess it really comes down to what you feel comfortable with."

The only classes Akko had ever been good at were Magic Astrology and History of Magic, so she was going to take her advice on Foretelling under heavy consideration. As for her second subject, Akko went with her tried and true method of closing her eyes and poking at the paper with her wand. It's not like she was going to get any worse than she already was…."

* * *

When Akko returned to Luna Nova after the holidays, it was nearly time for the next Chariot Race. Amelia was insisting on team practices every night after dinner, so Akko barely had time for anything but Racing and homework. However, the training sessions were getting better, or at least drier, and the evening before Saturday's match she went up to her dormitory to drop off her training clothes feeling better about Polaris's chances for the Chariot Cup.

But her cheerful mood didn't last long. At the top of the stairs to the dormitory, she met Lotte, who was looking frantic.

"Akko – I don't know who did it – I just found – "

Watching Akko fearfully, Lotte pushed open the door.

The contents of Akko's trunk had been thrown everywhere. Her tunic lay ripped on the floor. The bedclothes had been pulled off her four-posted and the drawer had been pulled out of her bedside cabinet, the contents strewn over the mattress.

Akko walked over to her bed, open-mouthed, treading on a few loose pages of _Night Fall_. As she and Lotte pulled the blankets back on her bed, Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka came in. Amanda swore loudly.

"What the hell happened, Akko?"

"No idea," said Akko. But Lotte was examining Akko's tunic. All the pockets were hanging out.

"Someone's been looking for something," said Lotte. "Is there anything missing?"

Akko started to pick up all her things and throw them into her trunk. It was only as she threw the last of the _Night Fall_ books back into it that she realized what wasn't there.

"Croix's diary is gone," she said with a feeling of dread washing over her.

"Um, no it's not," said Jasminka, peeking underneath Akko's bedside cabinet.

"What do you mean?" asked Lotte.

With a worried frown, Jasminka lifted the cabinet – one-handed – and exposed a small pile of broken parts underneath. It was only when Constanze picked up one of the pieces and examined the white outline that she realized what it was.

"Someone smashed Professor Croix's diary," Amanda translated for Constanze.

"Why would they do that?" asked Jasminka.

"Whoever it was didn't want anyone finding out what's inside," said Amanda knowingly.

"But – only a Polaris student could have done this – nobody else knows the code sequence to the door – "

"Exactly," said Akko.

* * *

They woke the next day to brilliant sunshine and a light, refreshing breeze.

"Perfect racing conditions!" said Amelia enthusiastically during breakfest at the table, loading the team's plates with scrambled eggs. "Akko, buck up there, you need a decent breakfast."

Akko had been staring around the packed dining hall, wondering if the person who destroyed Croix's dairy was right in front of her eyes. Lotte had been urging her to report the incident, but Akko didn't like the idea. For starters, she would have to tell a teacher she had stolen Croix's diary, which would no doubt reach back to Croix herself, and may end up exposing her hand in creating the virus that's attacking the school. Akko thought it was better to keep it to themselves until they were sure a vaccine was made.

She left the dining hall with Lotte and Sucy to go and collect the Shooting Star from Elma's office when another very serious worry was added to Akko's growing list. She had just set foot on the spiraling staircase when she heard the voice again – only this time in sounded different than the previous two times incidents. She could hear the voice so clearly as if they were standing right next to her, a soft, yet chilling sound that made her skin crawl with goosepimples -

" _She's mine now…there's no going back…soon…very soon…I will be whole…._ "

She shouted aloud and Lotte and Sucy both jumped away from her in alarm.

"The voice!" said Akko, looking over her shoulder. "I just heard it – didn't you?"

Lotte and Sucy shook their heads, wide-eyed.

"Akko, the last time you heard a voice, someone turned up infected," said Lotte. "Maybe we should tell a teacher?"

"And say what?" Sucy retorted. "That she can hear voices that no one else can and people always turn up infected whenever she does. People are finally starting to forget about the Dueling Club incident. She doesn't need this now."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" asked Lotte. "Just sit here and do nothing?"

Akko stood, irresolute, trying to catch the voice again, but people were now emerging from the dining hall behind her, talking loudly, exiting through the front doors on their way to the racing track.

"For now, all we can do is go about like everything's normal," said Sucy. "Akko, you need to get moving. It's nearly eleven – the match – "

Akko raced up to Elma's office, collected the Shooting Star, and joined the large crowd swarming across the grounds, but her mind was still in the castle along with the bodiless voice, and as she pulled on her racing uniform in the locker room, her only comfort was that everyone was now outside to watch the game.

The teams walked onto the track to tumultuous applause. Amelia O'Neill took off for a warm-up flight around the center of the field; Professor Kiki was making last minute checks to the track shifting system to make sure what happened before wouldn't happen again. The other teams were gathered in the groups, huddled over for a last-minute discussion of tactics. Akko looked over to the Lunar team when she noticed that all of them were gathered around Diana, who was sitting on the grass, holding her head like she was suffering from a heavy migraine.

Akko was just mounting Shooting Star when Ursula came half marching, half running across the track, whipping her wand in the air to create a magic megaphone.

Akko's heart dropped like a stone.

"The match has been cancelled," Ursula called through the megaphone, addressing the packed stadium. There were boos and shouts. Amelia O'Neill, looking devastated, landed and ran toward Ursula without getting off her broomstick.

"But, Professor!" she shouted. "We've got to play - the cup – _Polaris –_ "

Ursula ignored her and continued to shout through her megaphone:

"All students are to make their way back to the House common rooms, where their Heads of Houses will give them further information. As quickly as you can, please!"

She dissolved the megaphone and beckoned Akko over to her.

"Akko, I think you'd better come with me…."

Wondering how she could possibly suspect her this time, Akko saw Lotte and Sucy detach themselves from the crowd; they came running up to them as they set off toward the castle. To Akko's surprise, Ursula didn't object.

"Yes, perhaps you two had better come, too, Miss Jansson, Miss Manbavaran. I fear Akko may need your support…."

Some of the students around them were grumbling about the match being cancelled; others looked worried. Akko, Lotte, and Sucy followed Ursula back into the school and up the spiraling staircase. But they weren't taken to anybody's office this time.

"This will be a bit of a shock," said Ursula in a gentle voice as they approached the infirmary. "There has been another infection…another _double_ infection. I thought you should know, Akko, since she is your friend…."

Akko's insides did a horrible somersault. Ursula pushed the door open and she, Lotte, and Sucy entered.

There were two of those floating green pods the teachers used to seal up the other infected. Porlyusica was bending over a dark-skinned girl with bright orange hair. When Porylusica moved out of the way, Akko instantly recognized her to be Wangari, Amanda's friend and the head of the Journalism Club. And floating directly beside her was –

" _Nanoha-chan!_ " Akko cried.

Nanoha floated helplessly off the ground, her skin a pasty-white with black veins crawling across her skin.

"We found them on the first floor heading towards the stairs," said Ursula. "We think they might have been migrating towards the racing track. It was Professor Finnelan that found them…. They're going to be moved to quarantine soon."

Akko only half-listened to what Ursula was saying. Seeing Nanoha, one of her oldest friends, floating so helplessly made her stomach twist uncomfortably. Lotte placed a hand on her shoulder, but Akko didn't notice.

"I will escort you back to Polaris Tower," said Ursula heavily. "I need to address the students in any case."

* * *

"All students will return to their House common rooms by six o'clock in the evening. No student is to leave the dormitories after that time. You will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No student is to use the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher. All further Chariot Racing matches are to be postponed. There will be no more evening actives."

The Polaris students packed inside the common room listened to Ursula in silence. Blair sat stiff on the cabinet, her head hanging so that her hat covered her eyes. Ursula folded up the paper from which she had been reading and said in a somewhat choked voice, "I hardly need to add that I have rarely been so distressed. It is likely that the school will be closed unless the culprit behind these attacks is caught. I would urge anyone who thinks they might know anything about them to come forward."

She climbed somewhat awkwardly through the archway, and the Polaris students began talking immediately.

"That's three from Lunar, one from Eclipse, one from Twilight, not counting a teacher, one from Corona, and one from Polaris," said Avery, counting on her fingers. They're working their way through all the houses one by one. Hey, most of the attacks came from Lunar. You think someone from their house is responsible."

"If they were, Diana probably would have caught them by now," said Rashmi.

"Unless it was Diana all along," added Rajani.

"It's not her," Akko muttered quietly. "Trust me on this."

Amelia O'Neill was sitting in a chair behind Avery, but for once she didn't seem keen to make her opinion known. She was looking pale and stunned.

"I think she might be in shock," Amanda told Akko quietly. "She's probably having some kind of internal panic because the Chariot Racing cup got cancelled."

Once again, Akko found herself only half-listening. She didn't seem to be able to get rid of the picture of Nanoha, floating in a magic container waiting to be processed. She didn't want to imagine her closest friend since they were babies as one of those infected monsters. And if the culprit wasn't caught soon, she might never accomplish her lifelong dream of being a famous magical entertainer, or ever get the chance to meet her mother.

"What're we going to do?" said Lotte quietly in Akko's ear. "Do you think they might suspect Professor Croix?"

"We've got to go and talk to her," said Akko, making up her mind. "I don't think she's responsible for these attacks, but she knows more about this virus than anyone else. Maybe there's a way we can get her to remember where she put her notes so they can create a proper vaccine. That's a start, at least."

"But Professor Ursula said we've got to stay in our tower unless we're in class – "

"I'm going, Lotte," said Akko seriously. "I just need my ring and Constanze's help."

* * *

Akko was starting to wonder if she was making a habit of sneaking out at night with her family ring. Normally, the Ring of Gyges could only conceal a maximum number of three people, but Constanze had developed a machine last year that could expand the range of the ring's influence, allowing it to cover multiple people in its field. When Amanda, Jasminka, and Sucy learned of what they were doing, they readily agreed to help. They went to bed at the usual time, waited until the common room was clear of any stragglers, threw the ring inside Constanze's machine, and felt a pulse of familiar icy chill wash over them.

The journey through the dark and deserted castle corridors wasn't enjoyable. Akko, who had wandered the castle at night several times before, had never seen it so crowded after sunset. Teachers, fairies, and trolls were marching the corridors in pairs, staring around for any unusual activity. Constanze's machine didn't stop them from making any noise, and there was a particularly tense moment when Akko stubbed her toe only yards away from the spot where Professor Finnelan was standing guard. Thankfully, Professor Finnelan sneezed at almost the exact moment Akko swore. It was with relief that they managed to reach the fourth-floor corridor leading up to Professor Croix's private laboratory.

They hurried down the dimly lit passageway and shut down Constanze's machine to make themselves visible when they were right outside her door.

Seconds after they had knocked, Croix flung it open. Akko had found herself face-to-face with the barrel of a revolver pressed between her eyes.

"Oh," she said, lowering the weapon and staring at them. "What're you kids doing here?"

"What's that for?" said Akko, pointing at the gun as they stepped inside.

"You can't be too careful these days," Croix muttered. "Well, take a seat anywhere you want. I'll make some tea…."

It was the first time Akko had ever been in Professor Croix's quarters and somehow, she wasn't surprised by the looks of it. The large circular room was cluttered with dozens of computer monitors hanging off the walls, thick tangles of wire littering the floor, a bunch of machines that Akko knew would be safer not to touch, a workbench piled with Sorcery Unit parts, and a desk buried underneath mountains of paperwork. Akko couldn't even find a bed, but she assumed it was buried underneath all the mess.

They heard the ding of a microwave and Croix pulled out six cups of tea on a plate. Akko made a disgusted face; she might not be as critical about tea like the English were, but she definitely knew that you shouldn't make it in a microwave. Croix handed a cup to each of them, but no one dared to bring it to their lips.

"So, you finally come to tell me that you stole my diary?" asked Croix, setting aside the plate.

"Blair told you?" said Akko.

"She was a little snarky about it, but yeah," said Croix. "You didn't by any chance decide to bring it back, did you?"

"No, somebody smashed it," said Jasminka.

"What?" Croix gaped."

"Professor Croix, there's something we need to ask you," Akko immediately cut in, setting her tea cup on a computer tower. "Do you know anything - ?"

There was a sudden knock at the door that quickly silenced her. Croix grimaced and gestured the girls into the corner where Constanze quickly whipped out her machine and cloaked them in the invisibility shield. Croix checked that they were hidden, seized her revolver, and flung her door open once more.

"Good evening, Professor Croix."

It was Professor Holbrooke. She entered, looking deadly serious, and was followed by a second, very odd-looking man.

The stranger was very wide and had a large bushy beard knotted into buns on either side and a tiny topknot on top. He wore a dark robe with a cuffed cape draped over his broad shoulders held together by a silver medallion emblazed with a four-leaf clover.

"That's mom's boss!" Amanda breathed. "Crawford Seam, the Chairman of the Magic Council!"

Constanze elbowed Amanda hard to make her shut up.

Croix's lips had gone thin and her expression paled. She leaned against her workbench, purposely picking up the tea cup Akko had set on the computer tower as to not seem suspicious. She took a careful look from Professor Holbrooke to Crawford Seam.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of having the Chairman of the Magic Council in my humble office," said Croix coolly, taking a sip of the tea.

"Bad business, Miss Meridies," said Crawford in a rather clipped tone. "Very bad business. Had to come. Seven infected – one of them a teacher. Things have gone far enough. The Magic Council has to act."

"You're not implying what I think you are," said Croix, looking imploringly at Professor Holbrooke. "Headmistress, you know I would never do such a thing – "

"I want it understood, Crawford, that Professor Croix has my full confidence," said Professor Holbrooke, frowning at Crawford.

"Look, Miranda," said Crawford, uncomfortably. "Miss Meridies's record is against her. Even if the one who caught her last time was a known criminal, she is the only likely suspect. The Magic Council's got to do something – the school governors have been in touch – "

"Hey, I may have created the virus infecting the students, but I never used it," said Croix.

The way Croix's eyes went wide made it apparent that she had not meant to let this piece of information slip. Professor Holbrooke turned stone-faced and Crawford Seam looked like he had been suddenly slapped across the face. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, Professor Croix took a whiff of her tea and let out a low, sarcastic chuckle.

"Golden Perfect…," she muttered in a hollow voice. "Someone slipped me a truth potion…."

"You see, Miranda," said Crawford aghast. "That's damnable evidence if I ever heard it."

"Professor Croix admits to creating the virus, but she also admits to never using it," said Professor Holbrooke. Her blue eyes were full of a fire Akko had never seen before. "Yet again, Crawford, I tell you that taking Professor Croix will only make the situation worse."

"Look at it from my point of view," said Crawford, fidgeting. "I'm under a lot of pressure. Got to be seen doing something. If it turns out it wasn't Miss Meridies, she'll be back and no more said. But I've got to take her. Got to. Wouldn't be doing my duty – "

"Take me?" said Croix, eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Take me where?"

For a short stretch only," said Crawford, not meeting Croix's eyes. "Not a punishment, Miss Meridies, more of a precaution. If someone else is caught, you'll be let out with a full apology – "

"You're sending me to Dol Gurdur?" said Croix, outraged.

Before Crawford could answer, there was another loud rap on the door.

Professor Holbrooke answered it. It was Akko's turn for an elbow in the ribs; she'd let out and audible gasp.

Lord Paul Hanbridge strode into Croix's lab, smiling a cold and satisfied smile.

"Already here, Chairman Seam," she said approvingly. "Good, good…"

"What're you doing here?" said Croix furiously. "Get out of my home!"

"My dear woman, please believe me, I have no pleasure at all in being inside your – er – do you call this a home?" said Lord Hanbridge, sneering as he looked around the cluttered room. "I simply called at the school and was told that the headmistress was here."

"And what exactly did you want with me, Lord Hanbridge?" said Professor Holbrooke. She spoke politely, but the fire was still blazing in her blue eyes.

" _Dreadful_ things, Holbrooke," said Lord Hanbridge lazily, taking out a long script of paper, "but the governors feel it's time for you to step aside. This is an Order of Suspension – you'll find all twelve signatures on it. I'm afraid we feel you are losing your touch. How many infected have there been now? Two more this afternoon, wasn't it? At this rate, there'll be no students left at Luna Nova, and we all know what an _awful_ loss that would be."

"Oh, now, see here, Lord Hanbridge," said Crawford, looking alarmed, "Holbrooke suspended – no, no – last thing we want just now – "

"The appointment – or suspension – of the headmistress is a matter for the governors, Chairman Seam," said Lord Hanbridge smoothly. "And as Holbrooke has failed to stop this plague – "

"See here, Lord Hanbridge, if _Holbrooke_ can't stop this," said Crawford, whose upper lip was sweating now, "I mean to say, who _can_?"

"That remains to be seen," said Lord Hanbridge with a nasty smile. "But as all twelve of us have voted – "

"And how many did you have to threaten and blackmail before they agreed, Hanbridge?" snarled Croix.

"Dear, dear, you know, that temper of yours will lead you into trouble one of these days, _professor_ ," said Lord Hanbridge. "I would advise you not to shout at the guards of that Demi-Human prison when you meet them. They won't like it at all."

"You can't take me away, not now!" yelled Croix. "I'm so close to finding a cure! And the headmistress – if she's gone, the students won't stand a chance! People will die!"

"Calm yourself, Professor Croix," said Professor Holbrooke sharply. She looked at Lord Hanbridge.

"If the governors want my removal, Lord Hanbridge, I shall of course step aside – "

"But – " stuttered Crawford.

" _No!_ " yelled Croix.

Professor Holbrooke had not taken her bright eyes off Lord Hanbridge's cold green ones.

"However," said Professor Holbrooke, speak very slowly and clearly so that none of them could miss a word, "I have complete faith that Luna Nova Academy will be able to pull together and endure these troubling times even after I am gone. You will also find that if you wish to seek the right answers, you must first ask the right questions."

For a second, Akko was almost sure Professor Holbrooke's eyes flickered toward the corner where the girls stood hidden.

"Admirable sentiments," said Lord Hanbridge, bowing. "We shall all miss your – er – highly individual way of running things, Miranda, and only hope that your successor will be a little more – ah – cooperative when someone comes offering them a helping hand."

He strode to the laboratory door, opened it, and bowed Professor Holbrooke out. Crawford waited for Croix to go ahead of him, but Croix paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and said carefully, "The Headmistress was right: if you want to find the answers, you need to ask the question. The best way to do that is to look to the Stars…."

Crawford stared at her in amazement.

"All right, I'm coming," said Croix, pulling on her cloak. But as she was about to follow Crawford through the door, she stopped again and said loudly, "Oh, and someone will need to update the Sorcery Units regularly while I'm gone. Their programming can get a bit fussy if not done properly. Maybe that Constanze girl could do it. I always liked her."

The door banged shut and Constanze shut down the invisibility field.

"We're in trouble now," Lotte said hoarsely. "Professor Croix was the only one who knew how to synthesize a vaccine for the virus. And without Professor Holbrooke, it will only be a matter of time before they shut down the school for good."

But while Akko agreed with her concerns, there was something else that plagued her mind. Croix said she had been doused with a Golden Perfect in her tea, but the only people who had been in the room at the time besides Croix and herself was her dormmates.

That's when it hit her. It all made sense now: Diana had said that Akko was being deceived and the only people who knew about the Golden Perfect and that she had Croix's diary was Lotte and the others. That could only mean that the real Plague-Bearer…was one of her friends.

* * *

 **An unforeseen betrayal! With Croix and the headmistress gone and her best friends now suspects, Akko doesn't know who to trust anymore. And yeah, it really is a stupid move to arrest the only person in the world who has the slightest idea of how the virus works and could make a vaccine. But just like the source material, the demi-human government is full of dumbasses. We're winding down towards the ending and I still have a few more surprises you won't be expecting.**

 **Next Chapter: Question and Answer**


	15. Question and Answer

**Akko Kagari and the Evil Within**

 **Chapter Fifteen: Question and Answer**

Summer was creeping over the grounds around the castle; sky and lake alike turned periwinkle blue and flowers large as cabbages burst into bloom in the greenhouses. But all of this beauty that surrounded them was only artificial in Akko's eyes as the inside of the castle was in a state of stagnant gloominess and worry when word of Professor Croix reached the rest of the students. Without the professor around, it was becoming increasingly clear that hopes for a vaccine were nonexistent.

Many times, Akko caught Barbara wandering the castle in search of the hidden quarantine zone, no doubt wanting to see Hannah, but her search was promptly ended by Professor Hex.

"We're not taking any more chances," he told Barbara severely near the dungeons. "We don't know how far the infection has spread, nor if it can be treated at this point. I'm sorry to say that with Professor Croix, there's a likely chance the infected may never return to us…."

And with Professor Holbrooke gone, fear had spread as never before, so that the sun warming the castle walls outside seemed to stop at the mullioned windows. There was barely a face to be seen in the school that didn't look worried and tense, and any laughter that rang through the corridors sounded shrill and unnatural and was quickly stifled.

Akko constantly repeated Professor Holbrooke's final words to herself. " _Luna Nova Academy will be able to pull together and endure these troubling times….if you wish to seek the right answers, you must first ask the right questions._ " But what good were these words? What answers was she expected to find when she didn't even know what the question was supposed to be?

Croix's hint about looking to the stars hadn't been any easier to decipher. In a place like Luna Nova, which was basically built to emphasize the stars and the moon, there were literally hundreds of stars they could turn to looking for the right one. Akko looked everywhere she went, asking questions to stars all around the castle with the typical nonresponsive answer. She had even considered going up to the roof at night and talking to the stars directly if she wasn't hampered by the fact that she wasn't allowed to wander off on her own but had to move around the castle in a pack with the other Polaris'. Most of her fellow students seemed glad that they were being shepherded from class to class by teachers, but Akko found it very irksome.

More than once, Lotte and the others tried to help Akko in her search for the elusive star, but she always made some excuse not to be with them. Because the truth was the Akko wasn't certain if she could trust any of them. After the revelation in Croix's office, she narrowed the list of suspects of who the real Plague-Bearer is down to five people…and all of them were her roommates. The more she thought about it, she realized that each of them had an opportunity to infect the victims at any point and could easily frame her for it. They could have stolen the Golden Perfect during the week that Akko was unconscious since no one else had gone back to the abandoned tower and they were all present when Croix was drugged with the potion. But what Akko didn't know is…which one was it?

Automatically, Akko's first suspect was Sucy. She was always messing around with potions and was the one responsible for brewing the Golden Perfect in the first place. She could have found the Hive-Mind Virus one day and thought it would be amusing to let it spread among the student body for her own twisted pleasure. And there was Amanda, who had no shortage of money, but loved to steal things and cause general chaos, combined with Constanze's brain and Jasminka's muscle, Akko wouldn't be surprised if they were in charge of their own criminal empire.

The only one that Akko truly trusted was Lotte. Despite everything else, she knew Lotte was too sweet and kindhearted to even harm a fly (unless you count that one-time Akko accidentally released a giant, man-eating fly in Alchemy class). Two weeks after Professor Holbrooke and Croix had left, she relayed her suspicions to Lotte during Fundamentals of Magic Pharmaceutics when Professor Hex had divided them into pairs and immediately snatched her away from the rest of their dorm mates.

"You don't really believe one of them could be doing all this, do you?" Lotte gasped in a soft voice.

"It all fits, doesn't it?" said Akko. "The potion, the diary, the infected – "

"But we've known them for nearly two years now," said Lotte defensively. "Yes, I will admit that they might not be the most…upstanding people in the school, but they would never do something to infect the entire school, would they?"

"Sucy might just for the fun of it," said Akko. "You know weird she is about her mushrooms and always make those creepy potions. And don't forget all those seriously dark jokes she makes about disemboweling my corpse and using my organs for her experiments – she's completely psychotic. And the real purpose of the virus is about mind control, right? Amanda probably released the virus so that she could make herself queen or something. You know she's always trying to one-up everyone. And Constanze and Jasminka are practically her lackeys that will do whatever she says. It all fits."

"Honestly, it sounds like you're trying to force it to make sense," said Lotte uncertainly. "Although…I can't deny that it's a little suspicious how every time we seem to take one step forward, we always seem to take two steps back…."

"Exactly!" said Akko firmly. "That's because they know what we're doing all the time! They've been watching us all year, plotting behind our backs! Well, we're on to them now! They're not gonna catch up by surprise again!"

The bell rang at that moment and everyone started collecting their things off the tables. Akko purposely took longer to pack up as she watched Sucy, Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka march out the door where Professor Hex was tapping his foot impatiently.

"Hurry up, I've got to take you all to Herbalism," barked Professor Hex over the class's heads, and off they marched, with Akko and Lotte bringing up the rear.

The Basic Herbalism class was very subdued; there were now two missing from their number, Makoto and Nanoha.

Professor Cosmos set them all to work pruning the Abysus EVO roots. Akko went to tip an armful of withered stalks onto the compost heap and found herself face-to-face with Alice Little. Alice took a deep breath and said, very formally, "I just want to say, Akko, that I'm sorry I ever suspected you. Everyone knows you and Nanoha are childhood friends and would never infect her on purpose, and I apologize for all the stuff I said. We're all in the same boat now, and, well – "

She held out a hand, and Akko shook it.

Akko went back to working on the EVO root with Lotte when Barbara suddenly joined them at their tray.

"Please tell me you've got something," said Barbara, earning confused stares from the two. "I mean about who the Plague-Bearer is. With Professor Croix gone, there's no one left to make a cure for Hannah. Oh, and everyone, I suppose. And Diana's no help. She's been acting weirder than usual."

"Whaddya mean?" asked Lotte.

"She's been acting all…distant lately," said Barbara, humming thoughtfully. "Usually she likes to make sure that the Lunar dorms are neat and proper like a good den mother, but recently she's just been going to classes and then straight to the dormitory. I hardly ever see her anymore."

"You think she's sick?" said Akko, then she gasped. "You think she's turning."

"I hope not, because she's probably the only person left in this school smart enough to come up with a cure," said Barbara. "If she does turn, then the only chance we have left is to force the Plague-Bearer to let everyone go. So do either of you know anything."

Akko considered whether or not she could trust Barbara with everything she had learned, but at this point, she was desperate for any help she could get. So as they broke off the dead twigs of the EVO roots, Akko explained everything they had learned in a low voice. The diary, Croix's research notes, the Golden Perfect, and her suspicions that one of her roommates might be the Plague-Bearer. Barbara looked around the greenhouse at the planter being tended by Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka as they tested some new gadget of Constanze's on the root. Then she peered over to Sucy, who was dripping a strange potion on her root that seemed to make the plant grow tentacles.

"So basically you have no idea who the bad guy is," said Barbara, "and you have no idea where Professor Croix's notes are either. We are so royally screwed."

"Hey, it's not my fault!" Akko snapped. "It's like someone is purposely making this confusing. And Professor Croix and Professor Holbrooke weren't helpful either. 'Ask the right question', 'Look to the stars'? What is that even supposed to mean?"

"Can't you just use your Shiny Rod to figure it out?" said Barbara exasperatedly. "What's the point of having a super magic wand if you can't even use it right?"

"It doesn't work like that," said Akko, pulling the Shiny Rod from her belt as if to prove a point. "I can't just wave it around and say: 'Where is Professor Croix's research?' That would be totally unrealistic – "

All of a sudden, her voice became lost in her throat as she caught a tiny glimpse of glowing green light out of her peripheral vision. The Star of Energy – the only Star of Arcturus Akko had collected thus far – was glowing weakly, almost unnoticeable in the sunlight spilling through the greenhouse windows. Lotte and Barbara leaned in close, mouth agape. Akko slowly raised a finger to tap the Star and a thin beam of green light suddenly shot out, pointing directly between Akko's eyes.

"What in the – "

"Get down!" Barbara hissed. "Don't let anyone see that?"

Akko dived underneath the table with Lotte and Barbara joining her. Now that she had moved around, the beam of light was shooting past Akko's shoulder, going through the greenhouse window. Lotte covered her mouth as she gasped.

"Akko - Professor Croix's hint," said Lotte in a whisper. "'Look to the stars'. She was talking about the Stars of Arcturus. It's a compass!"

"It must be point to wherever Professor Croix hid her notes," said Barbara.

Akko's eyes narrowed as she focused on the beam. If she followed the direction properly, there could be no doubt about where it was headed.

"Looks like it's pointing into the Arcturus Forest…."

Lotte did not look particularly happy about that.

At the end of the lesson Professor Cosmos escorted the class to their Magical Literature lesson. Akko and Lotte lagged behind the others so they could talk out of earshot.

"We'll take my mom's ring again," Akko told Lotte. "We'll follow the direction the Shiny Rod is pointing while we're invisible."

"Right," said Lotte, who was twirling her wand nervously in her fingers. "Er – aren't there – aren't there supposed to be werewolves in the forest?" she added as they took their usual place near the back of the class and away from Sucy and the others.

"Nah, that's just a myth," said Akko. "There are some Arrancar, though. They're not totally bad, just territorial. Nel's pretty nice – she looks like a centaur – but Harribel can be a little strict – she's the queen of the forest. We'll definitely want to avoid her when we go in there. I don't think she's ever forgiven the school for what Barbara did last year."

The door to the room pushed open slightly, but paused for a moment. Akko and Lotte, who were sitting closest, could hear Annabel Crème's soft voice carrying through the crack. It sounded like she was talking on the phone.

"No, mommy, I haven't changed my mind…yes, I'm serious…I didn't even want to be here in the first place…Forget it. After I'm done here, I'll be making the official announcement…No, I already found a new Annabel Crème…I have to go. Bye."

Annabel Crème walked inside and made a beeline for the front of the classroom without so much as a glance at the students. Every other teacher in the castle was looking grimmer than usual, but Annabel Crème went about her day like it was morning routine. People thought the staff would have been more concerned considering she was the smallest and youngest among them, but Akko had seen her wander the hall alone many times.

"All right, everyone, we're reaching the last chapters of _Night Fall_ , so I expect you all to pay extra attention," said Annabel Crème. "We'll continue where we left off when Edgar lands on the moon…."

"What do you think that was about?" Akko whispered to Lotte.

"I don't know, but did you hear the way she was talking?" said Lotte. "I definitely heard her say something about an official announcement and a new Annabel Crème."

"But what could she mean by that?" asked Akko. "How can there be a new Annabel Crème when she's Annabel crème. Unless she planning on making a clone – ooh, you think she knows ninjutsu?"

"I think…I think I might know how," Lotte mumbled, her eyes looking sadly downward. "But…but let's not think about that right now. We should think about the Shiny Rod. It was definitely pointing into the Arcturus Forest, right? When she we go looking for them?"

"Tonight," said Akko firmly. "The sooner we can find Professor Croix's notes, the sooner we can cure everyone and clear her name."

* * *

The Polaris common room was always very crowded these days, because from six o'clock onward the Polaris had nowhere else to go. They also had plenty to talk about, with the result that the common room often didn't empty until past midnight.

Akko went to get the Ring of Gyges out from under her mattress right after dinner, and spent the evening sitting on it, waiting for the room to clear. Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka challenged her to a few games of chess, and Blair sat on the couch rest, staring unblinkingly at Akko, but not saying anything. Akko knew her guardian was suspicious when she started losing on purpose, trying to finish the games quickly, especially against Amanda, who Akko had to go the extra mile just to let her win. It was well past midnight when Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka finally went to bed. Blair remained rooted in her spot for what seemed like hours, until the purple-furred cat-witch finally slinked off up the stairs, constantly looking back at Akko.

Akko and Lotte waited for the distance sounds of dormitory doors closing before seizing the ring, slipping it on her finger, grabbing Lotte's hand to spread the magic's influence, and climbed through the archway.

It was another difficult journey through the castle, dodging all the teachers. At last they reached the entrance hall, slid back the lock on the mahogany front doors, squeezed between them, trying to stop any creaking, and stepped out into the grounds.

"Wow," said Akko impressively as they strode across the black grass. "That was a lot easier than I thought it would be. No one noticed that we snuck out – "

"I wouldn't be too sure of that."

Before Akko could realize what had just happened, someone grabbed her by the hand and slipped the Ring of Gyges right off her finger, making her fully visible in the moon light. Akko and Lotte spun around; Blair was glaring at them both, hands on her hips and lips curled into a frown.

"What the hell are you two thinking?" said Blair.

"It's not what it looks like!" said Akko quickly.

"It looks like you're sneaking out at night and headed to the Arcturus Forest," said Blair.

"Okay, so it's exactly what it looks like," Akko admitted.

"I expected this much from Akko," said Blair disapprovingly, "but I thought you were better than that, Lotte. The entire castle is under lockdown and you want to go into the most dangerous place on earth. Didn't you learn your lesson from last year, Akko?"

"I don't want to go into the forest, Blair, but we have to," said Lotte urgently. "We think Professor Croix's old research notes are in there. If we can find them, we can figure out how to make a cure for those infected inside the castle and we can clear Professor Croix's name."

"What makes you think Croix hid here notes in the forest?" asked Blair suspiciously.

"She left us a clue before she left," said Akko. "She said that we should 'look to the Stars' and, well, look – "

Akko grabbed the Shiny Rod from her belt and held it over her head. The narrow beam of light that had been faintly visible in the morning and was shining like a beacon, shooting over Blair's shoulder and vanishing into the dark depths of the forest. Blair was stunned; her mouth hanging open and her golden eyes going wide, shimmering in the moonlight.

"You see?" said Akko. "The Shiny Rod is pointing the way to Croix's research. We have to go find it."

"No, no, no, that's not right," said Blair, shaking her head and waving her hand. "The Shiny Rod doesn't just point to whatever you want to find. It only points to…. You know what, I'm coming with you."

"You are?" asked Akko, surprised.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" asked Lotte.

"Well, it's not like anything I say is going to stop you," said Blair. "And if you're dead set on going in there, the least I can do is make sure you stay safe."

"Thanks, Blair," said Akko appreciatively. "C'mon, let's go before anyone realizes we're missing."

With Blair now joining their party, they bounded to the edge of the forest where the moonlight seemed to be immediately cut off and cloud the trees in shadow. Blair flipped her hat, chanting, " _ **Pum-Pum-Pumpkin!**_ " and pulled out a large jack-o-lantern with a very bright candle, flooding a small area around them in a warm, orangish-yellow light. Akko held up the Shiny Rod as its beam turned slightly, pointing down a narrow path only barely visible between the trees.

"Okay," Akko sighed as though resigned to the worst. "Everybody ready? Let's go."

So, with the leaves scattering and the fallen twigs snapping under their feet, they entered the Arcturus Forest. By the glow of Blair's pumpkin, they followed the Shiny Rod's beam along the pathway, moving slower than Akko would have liked, but they didn't want to alert anyone they were there. They walked for what must have been twenty minutes, not speaking, listening hard for noises other than the crunching under the feet. Then, when the trees had become thicker than ever, so that the stars overhead were no longer visible, and Blair's pumpkin shone alone in the sea of dark, the Shiny Rod's beam suddenly turned off the path.

Akko paused, trying to see where the Shiny Rod was going, but everything outside their sphere of light was pitch-black. She had never been this deep into the forest before. She could vividly remember Professor Ymir advising her not to leave the forest path last time she had been in here.

"Whaddya think?" Akko said to Lotte, whose glasses were reflecting the light from Blair's pumpkin.

"We've come this far," said Lotte.

So they followed the narrow trail of the Shiny Rod into the trees. They couldn't move very quickly now; there were tree roots and stumps in their way, barely visible in the near blackness. Akko could feel Blair's hot breath on the back of her neck. More than once, they had to stop when the Shiny Rod led them into a wall of brambles and they had to find another way around.

They walked for what seemed like at least half an hour, their tunics snagging in the low branches. After a while, they noticed that the ground seemed to be sloping downward, though the trees were as thick as ever.

Then Blair suddenly grabbed Akko by the shoulder, who had already been feeling jumping, and let out a great, echoing scream that made Lotte scream as well.

"What?" said Akko loudly, looking around into the pitch-dark, and gripping Lotte's elbow very hard.

"There's something moving out there," Blair breathed. "Listen…sounds like something big…."

They listened. Some distance to their right, the something big was snapping branches as it carved a path through the trees.

"Oh no," said Lotte. "Oh no, oh no, oh – "

"Be quiet," Blair hissed. "It'll hear you."

"Hear _me_?" said Lotte in an unnaturally high voice. "It's already heard Akko!"

"Hey, leave me out of this!" Akko complained.

The darkness seemed to be pressing on their eyeballs as they stood, terrified, waiting. There was a strange rumbling noise and then silence.

"Whaddya think it's doing?" said Akko.

"Probably getting ready to pounce," said Blair.

They waited, shivering, hardly daring to move.

"Do you think it's gone?" Lotte whispered.

"I don't – "

Then, to their right, there was a loud hissing noise and suddenly Akko felt something long and smooth seize her around the middle and lift her off the ground, so that she was hanging facedown. Struggling, terrified, she heard more hissing, and saw Lotte's legs leave the ground too, and spotted Blair's jack-o'-lantern rolling down the hill as the witch-cat let out a sharp yelp – next moment, she was being swept away into the dark trees.

Head hanging, Akko saw that what had a hold of her was marching on four smooth black claws the size of a bear while somehow holding her in place inside its chest, as if is skin was made of tar, dotted with a row of diamonds that gave off a sky-blue glow. Behind her, she could hear another of the creatures, no doubt carrying Lotte and Blair. They were moving into the very heart of the forest. Akko could hear Blair fighting to free herself from the monster, chanting a spell, but Akko couldn't have yelled even if she had wanted to; she seemed to have left her voice back where they picked her up.

She never knew how long she was in the creature's clutches; she only knew that the darkness suddenly lifted enough for her to see that the leaf-strewn floor was swarming with what looked like ants glowing in every color of the rainbow. Craning her neck sideways, she realized that they had reached a ridge of a vast hollow, a hollow that had been cleared of trees, so that the stars shone brightly on the most amazing scene she had ever laid eyes on.

They weren't ants – they were cubes; Professor Croix's cubes to be more exact. They were surging over the leaves below by the thousands, forming neat lines across the floor, each one of them color coordinated to match one another. Several of the cubes were clustered together at the end of each trail, melding into new shapes: a bear, a bird, a gnome, etc. The massive specimen that was carrying Akko made its way down the steep slope toward gigantic tunnel in the very heart of the hollow, while its fellows closed in all around it, making flittering noises all around them.

Akko fell to the ground on all fours as the beast released her. Lotte and Blair thudded down next to him. Blair was showing her experience by not panicking, but Lotte looked exactly as Akko felt on the inside. Her mouth was stretched wide in a kind of silent scream and her eyes were popping.

Akko suddenly realized that the shadowy creature that had dropped her was saying something. It had been hard to tell, because he's voice sounded like static and it clicks with every word it spoke.

"Matriarch!" it called. "Patriarch!"

And from the entrance of the tunnel, two creatures the size of Titans emerged, very slowly. Both of them looked like long-necked lizards with smooth, black bodies that lacked any visible eyes and had a line of neon-colored diamonds trailing down the sides of their heads all the way to their tails; the left was colored blue and the other was red. It was in that moment Akko remembered the one on the right – it was the same creature that had run away from Wesker in Croix's video diary.

" _What is it?_ " the blue lizard cracked in a feminine voice.

" **Why have we been disturbed?** " the red lizard grumbled in a masculine tone.

"Intrudes, Matriarch, Patriarch," said the beast who caught Akko.

" _Is it Croix?_ " said the Matriarch, moving closer.

"Strangers," clicked the beast who had brought Lotte and Blair.

" **Kill them** ," said the Patriarch fretfully. " **Do not let any know of us** …"

"We're friends of Croix's," Akko shouted. Her heart seemed to have left her chest to pound in her throat.

The neat lines of cube suddenly scrambled like a swarm of buzzing bees.

The Matriarch and the Patriarch paused.

" **No one knows where our hollow resides, not even Croix** ," said the Patriarch slowly.

" _So how is it that you have come to discover our domain_?" said the Matriarch.

"It was the Shiny Rod," said Akko, breathing very fast as she waved the wand in the air. "We think Croix left us for something to find."

The beam of light radiating from the Star of Energy was still shining, pointing deep into the hole from whence the lizard beasts emerged. The matriarch and Patriarch followed the beam and the Patriarch stretched its tail inside. A moment later, it withdrew a small box from the depths. It looked like a purple chest decorated with silver vines.

" _This treasure_ …," said the Matriarch. " _Croix entrusted us to keep it guarded from any who would come looking. Why do you seek it?_ "

"Croix's in trouble," said Blair, finally finding her voice. "We believe there is something in that chest that could help her."

" **In trouble?** " said the Patriarch, and Akko thought she heard concern underneath it's crackling voice. " **But why has she sent you?** "

Akko thought of getting to her feet but decided against it; she didn't think her legs would support her. So she spoke from the ground, as calmly as she could.

"They think, up at the school, the Professor Croix's released a virus in the castle, infecting the students. They've taken her to prison."

The Matriarch and Patriarch roared furiously, pounding their massive claws into the ground; the cubes were now flying in every direction like a frenzied storm.

" _But that was years ago,_ " said the Matriarch fretfully. " _Years and years ago. I remember it well. It was decades ago when Croix first discovered her talent for breathing life into inanimate objects. It was weeks before the first infection started that she molded me to life with her magic. She was so young and ambitious. She wanted to change the world, which is why she so naively believed the lies of that vile man, Albert Wesker. The Umbrerlla Corporation had provided her with limitless funding to work on her research and eventually directed her in the field of organic chemistry._ "

"That's…that's when Wesker tricked her into making the virus, right?" said Akko, who could feel cold sweat on her forehead.

" _Wesker was a brilliant man in his own way_ ," said the Matriarch. " _He came to Croix, making her believe that the new project was meant to create a potion that would cure all disease. But when Croix used the virus on the girl, she discovered too late what it's true purpose was. She knew it was only a matter of time before Wesker would come for her research, so she locked it away inside this chest and sent me away, never to be seen again. I have lost track of how long I have been here, but that was the last I had heard of Croix until my Patriarch came into the forest years later."_

" **Wesker had returned seeking Croix once she heard that she had returned to the school** ," said the Patriarch. " **Croix had breathed life into my form so that I would search for the Matriarch, bringing with me a second treasure that she wished to remain hidden beyond anyone's reach, least of all Wesker. She never told me what it was, only that I was to keep it safe, no matter what.** "

"You mentioned something about a girl," said Blair bravely. "Are you talking about the Hive Queen? I think you said something about Wesker looking for her in the diary, didn't you, Akko?"

"Uh, yeah," said Akko, nodding slowly. "Wesker wanted her really bad."

" _The Hive Queen,_ " said the Matriarch, " _was the name given to the girl who could control the virus. She was a good friend to Croix and a faithful assistant – she would often feed me scraps from lunch whenever she visited the laboratory in which I resided. But when Croix was on the verge of exposing the Umbrella Corporation, Wesker burned the girl alive to cover his tracks. Croix knew that Wesker was planning to steal the secrets of the virus from her body, but Croix took it and hid it away._ "

"And…do you know where the body is now?" asked Akko hesitantly.

" **We do not know anything** ," said the Patriarch. " **All we know is that Croix entrusted us with this treasure. It is the key to all the answers that you seek.** "

"Great, so you're gonna give it to us?" said Akko hopefully.

" **Give it to you?** " said the Patriarch slowly. " **I think not….** "

Before Akko could press the issue further, she felt Lotte tugging at her sleeve and looked around. The swarm of cubes were merging together one-by-one, forming into creatures that ranged from manticores to giant spiders. The Patriarch and Matriarch seemed to be tired of talking. They were backing slowly into their tunnel, but their creations were inching slowly towards Akko, Lotte, and Blair.

"Hey, what the hell?" shouted Blair. "You can't do this!"

" **Actually, we can,** " said the Patriarch.

" _We were tasked with one goal of keeping Croix's treasure safe,_ " said the Matriarch. " _Had you been accompanied by Croix, we might have been compelled to surrender the treasure to you. But our orders are absolute, and you cannot be allowed to leave with the knowledge of our hollow. Good-bye, friends of Croix._ "

Akko spun around. Feet away, towering above her, was a solid wall of cubes, all of them turning bright red like a thousand tiny angry eyes.

Even as she reached for her wand, Akko knew it was no good, there were too many of them, but as she tried to stand, ready to die fight, a loud, long whooshing noise shot through the forest and a blue of red plowed through the wall, showering them in black boxes.

The Shooting Star was sweeping across the air over the hollow, whipping its wide brush to swat away the cubes like they were flies. The Matriarch and Patriarch howled furiously, snapping their jaws when the broom zoomed in front of their faces, but the Shooting Star was too fast to keep up with. The broom did a quick pivot and shot backwards towards the Patriarch's tail, slicing the limb off with its arrowhead. The Patriarch reared its head in pain as the purple chest rolled across the ground. Blair quickly rushed over to pick it up and bounded out of the way before the Matriarch's claw came down on her head. The Shooting Star came to a stop in front of Akko, Lotte, and Blair.

"Get on!" Akko yelled, jumping up front; Lotte jumped behind Akko and Blair tossed the chest in Lotte's lap before pouncing onto the Shooting Star's brush in cat form. They barely had time to brace themselves before they shot forward in breakneck speed, smashing their way through more cube monsters. They sped up the slope, out of the hollow, and they were soon crashing through the forest, branches whipping at their arms and legs as the Shooting Star wound its way cleverly through the narrowest gaps, following a path it obviously knew.

Akko looked sideways at Lotte. Her mouth was still open in the silent scream, but her eyes weren't popping anymore.

"Are you okay?"

Lotte stared straight ahead, unable to speak.

They smashed their way through the undergrowth, Blair yowling in the back, and Akko's sleeve was ripped roughly as they squeezed past a large oak. After five noisy, rocky minutes, the trees thinned, and Akko could again see patches of sky.

The Shooting Star stopped so suddenly that they were thrown forward and landed in a heap on the grass. They had reached the edge of the forest. Akko groaned as she weakly pulled herself up, nearly stumbling from the shakiness of her legs, and after a minute or so, Lotte seemed to regain the feeling in her limbs and followed, still stiff-necked and staring. Akko gave the broom a grateful pat before it shot towards the castle, likely heading back to Elma's office.

"How did the Shooting Star find us?" asked Akko.

"I knew you guys were up to something dangerous," said Blair, looking like she was going to be sick. "So I asked the Shooting Star to follow us in case we needed a quick getaway. And it's a good thing I did, too. God damn Croix, leaving something like that for kids to find. You okay over there, Lotte?"

Akko turned around, finding Lotte vomiting in the pumpkin patch.

"I've been better," said Lotte weakly, wiping her mouth on her sleeve. "Though I never want to go back in there again. We're lucky to be alive."

"I bet Croix thought her creations wouldn't attack her friends," said Akko.

"That's always been a problem of Croix's," said Blair, climbing on Akko's shoulder. "She never thinks anything can go bad where her experiments come into question. And look where it got her now. I just hope that whatever is in this chest is worth all the trouble."

Akko looked down at the purple box lying in the grass, flung on its side from when they were tossed. She and Lotte crouched next to it, setting the box up straight, then cautiously pulled the latch and raised the lid. Looking inside, they found a pile of weathered old papers written in purple ink and another one of Croix's magic cubes. Akko picked up the cube first, noting how different it was compared to the others that Croix used for magic; this one was made from a white material with a weakly glowing green star printed on all six sides.

"That must be the treasure Croix hid the second time," said Blair. "You better keep it, Akko. It might come in handy."

Akko nodded, pocketing the cube, and grabbed the research papers next. Hope had started to swell in Akko chest, feeling that they were finally ready to put an end to the chaos that was plaguing Luna Nova. But that optimism soon deflated like a punctured balloon. The words were written in a language that Akko had never seen before. It wasn't English, Japanese, Russian, or German; it looked like a lot of dots, half circles, and crescents piled together in a wall of text.

"What is this?" said Akko, blinking in confusion. "I can't read a single word."

"I've never seen a language like this before," said Lotte, leaning in close to look. "Can you read it, Blair?"

"No, I can't," said Blair, grimacing. "It's written in the Luna Alphabet. It's an old, outdated language that was used by witches in ancient times. It's largely forgotten by most modern witches."

"If you can't read it, then can someone else?" asked Akko hopefully.

"The only person I know is Professor Finnelan," said Blair despairingly. "Though I doubt she'll listen to anything you have to say, especially when she has her hands full with running the school in Holbrooke's absence."

"You're kidding me," groaned Akko. "After all that…we're still back to square one. Even after everything…we still haven't gotten any closer to solving this…."

She hanged her head in defeat and Lotte and Blair looked similarly downcast. A cold wind blew across the ground that caused them to shiver. They couldn't stay out for much longer; someone was bound to notice they were gone soon. Blair returned the Ring of Gyges to Akko, who slipped it on her finger, took Lotte's hand into her own, and started to walk.

As the castle loomed closer, Akko pushed the creaking front doors ajar. They walked carefully back across the entrance hall and up the spiral staircase, holding their breath as they passed corridors where watchful sentries were walking. At last they reach the safety of the Polaris common room, where the fire had burned itself into glowing ash. Akko took off the ring and they climbed the winding stairs to their dormitory.

Lotte fell onto her bed without bothering to get undressed and Blair curled up at the foot of Akko's. But Akko, on the other hand, didn't feel very sleepy. She sat on the edge of her four-poster, going through the musky research papers as if they would suddenly make sense if she stared at the letters long enough.

Her mind was more befuddled than last year when they were on the hunt for the Shiny Rod. At least then they had a suspect (which turned out to be wrong). But this time they were going up against a faceless enemy that could take over the entire school any time they wanted to. But then the question was, why hadn't they? According to Diana, the entire school has already been infected, and the virus must have likely spread since everyone went on Christmas and Easter holidays. Whoever was in control could start an epidemic any time they wanted to. So what was stopping them from doing just that?

Akko swung her legs up onto her bed and leaned back against her pillows, flipping through the short stack of papers in the moonlight beaming through the tower window.

She couldn't see what else they could do. They had hit dead ends everywhere. Akko felt paranoid to trust any of her friends, believing that any one of them could be the Plague-Bearer, and she couldn't shake the idea that this is what the Purifiers want: to have the Demi-Humans turning on each other. There was nowhere else to turn, no one left to ask. Akko lay down, flipping to the last page of Croix's research.

What she found was not a sheet of text, but a black and white photograph of two girls. The girl on the left in the glasses was obviously Croix, and the girl on the left was….

Akko shot bolt upright, nearly flinging herself off the bed.

"Lotte," she hissed through the dark. "Lotte – "

Lotte woke with a yelp, stared wildly around, and saw Akko.

"Lotte – the Hive Queen. The Matriarch said that she was Croix's assistant and that she was burned alive," said Akko, ignoring Jasminka's snuffling snores from the corner. "That means she's been in Professor Croix's lab at the tower. I don't think she ever left. I think she's still there."

Lotte rubbed her eyes, frowning through the moonlight. When Akko presented her with the photograph, her mouth fell open in a silent gasp.

"You _don't_ think – the Hive Queen is…Alessa Gillespie?"

* * *

 **We're finally winding down to the final chapters of the Evil Within. I wonder how many of you are just as confused about this mystery as Akko and the others are. If anyone is, then that means I'm doing my job as an author well. Don't worry, because all the answers will be answered soon enough, and while most of you have spent a long time only guessing half of the true villain's identity, it is the other half that is guaranteed to shock you**

 **Next chapter: The Passing of the Pen**


	16. The Passing of the Pen

**Akko Kagari and the Evil Within**

 **Chapter Sixteen:** **The Passing of the Pen**

"All those times we were in the tower, and she was just a few feet away," said Akko bitterly at breakfast next day, "and we could've asked her, and now…"

It had been hard enough trying to sneak out to the Arcturus Forest. Escaping their teachers long enough to sneak out to the abandoned tower was going to be almost impossible. On top of that was Professor Croix's research notes, which they have yet to translate. Blair was right in saying it was a forgotten language; try as they might, neither Akko nor Lotte could find a book on it anywhere in the library. Lotte had suggested going to Constanze to see if she could invent a translating device, but Akko squashed that idea, still uncertain if one of their roommates was really the Plague-Bearer.

But something happened in their first lesson, Alchemy, that drove the virus out of their minds for the first time in weeks. Ten minutes into the class, Professor Finnelan told them that their exams would start on the first of June, one week from today.

" _Exams?_ " howled Amanda. "We're still getting _exams_?"

There was a loud bang behind Akko as Jasminka's wand slipped, vanishing one of the legs on her desk. Professor Finnelan restored it with a wave of her own wand, and turned, frowning, to Amanda.

"The whole point of keeping the school open at this time is for you to receive your education," she said sternly. "The exams will therefore take place as usual, and I trust you are all studying hard."

Studying hard! It had never occurred to Akko that there would be exams with the castle in this state. There was a great deal of mutinous muttering around the room, which made Professor Finnelan scowl even more darkly.

"Professor Holbrooke's instructions were to keep the school running as normally as possible," she said. "And that, I need hardly point out, means finding out how much you have learned this year."

Akko looked down at the pair of white rabbits she was supposed to be turning into slippers. What had she learned so far this year? She couldn't seem to think of anything that would be useful in an exam. Somehow, she got the feeling it would have been better if she had stayed in the Arcturus Forest.

* * *

Three days before their first exam, Professor Finnelan made another announcement at breakfast.

"I have good news," she said, and the dining hall, instead of falling silent, erupted.

"Professor Holbrooke's coming back!" several people yelled joyfully.

"You've caught the Plague-Bearer!" squealed a girl two tables away.

"Chariot Races are back on!" roared Amelia excitedly.

When the hubbub had subsided, Professor Finnelan said, "As most of you are already aware, the BSAA has been working in conjunction with Professor Croix for the past several months. Though Professor Croix is no longer with us, the BSAA believe they had created a vaccine that will cure those people who have been infected. They will be arriving with the vaccine some time later tonight. I am hopeful that this dreadful year will end with this plague being snuffed out once and for all and this Purifier nonsense will finally be put to rest."

"This is great Akko," said Lotte as the hall exploded into cheers. "Now it won't matter that we can't read Professor Croix's notes! We should have known that the BSAA would be able to solve this problem; they exist specifically for counteracting bio-terrorism, after all. All we have to do is wait for tonight and everyone will be cured."

"But we still have to clear Professor Croiux's name," said Akko. "And we haven't even come close to finding out who the Plague-Bearer is."

Just then, someone suddenly walked up behind them and sat between Akko and Lotte. The two shared a look, both of them looking unexplainably confused, then looked back. The girl who sat between them wore Eclipse colors, but they had never seen her before - she looked like a First year. Her silky-black hair tied in a low ponytail and her sharp green eyes stared forward, not looking at either of them. Akko couldn't explain it, but she got the feeling that she knew this girl from somewhere...

"Um...can we help you with something?" Lotte asked awkwardly when the girl didn't say anything.

The girl looked up and down the dining hall with an intense stare, almost like she was expecting someone to eavesdrop on them. Akko and Lotte had purposely sat away from their usual table with Sucy and the others, which drew a lot of hurtful questions and remarks that Akko didn't want repeated.

"Are you all right?" said Lotte, worried.

"It's me, Kagari-dono," the first year spoke to Akko in a quiet whisper. That's when it sudden hit Akko like a ton of bricks; this girl was the little ninja that had been haunting her ever since she left Japan! Akko first instinct was to bounce away or call for help, but the little ninja clamped a hand on her arm to keep her in place.

"Don't stress yourself, Kagari-dono," said the Little Ninja in a low voice. "I have no intention of hurting you."

"You could have fooled me, after you snapped my arm a couple months ago!" Akko hissed.

"I apologized for that," said the Little Ninja.

"Oh yeah, that makes it all better?" said Akko sarcastically. "No matter what you do, I'm not leaving Luna Nova."

"I don't want you to leave Luna Nova Academy, Kagari-dono," retorted the Little Ninja. "In fact, I'm here to prevent you from leaving."

"Wait, what?" said Akko, shaking her head in confusion. "Okay, I just don't get you. First you try to kill me to keep me away from school, now you don't want me to leave. Make up your mind!"

"New information has come to light," said the little ninja seriously. "It was Cavendish-dono who asked me to warn you, Kagari-dono. You see, the truth is – "

Akko had been expecting to be interrupted somehow; it was like a recurring plot to a bad fanfiction. This time, they were interrupted by Amelia O'Neill, who suddenly came up to Akko grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Did you hear the good news, Kagari? Once this Purifier mess is cleared up, they'll have to bring back the Chariot Races. We still have a chance at the cup!"

Little ninja quickly lowered her head, concealing her face behind the brim of her witch's hat, and jumped up as though her chair had just been electrified. She gave Akko a fleeting look and scampered away out of the hall. Amelia took her place, grabbing a mug of coffee that had been left on the table.

"Amelia!" complained Lotte. "She was just about to tell us something important!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, was it something important?" said Amelia apologetically.

"Well, we don't know now," said Akko, scowling. "She was going to tell us some secret Diana had - "

Halfway through a gulp of coffee, Amelia choked.

"Oh – that – that's nothing to do with the plague or the Purifiers," said Amelia at once.

"Uh, how would you even know?" said Akko, her eyebrows raised.

"Well, er, if you must know, Diana, er, walked in on me a while back when I was – well, never mind – the point is, she spotted me doing something and I, um, I asked her not to mention it to anybody. I must say, I thought Diana Cavendish, at least, would have kept her word. It's nothing, really, I'd just rather – "

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with whatever your talking about," said Akko.

"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure it's nothing worth mentioning," said Amelia, jumping up just as quickly as the little ninja did. "I just remembered, I wanted to clean my broomstick –

"What do you think is that Amelia doesn't want anyone finding out?" Akko asked Lotte once Amelia was out of earshot.

"I think the bigger question is," said Lotte in a hushed voice. "Diana wanted that girl to tell us the secret...but where is Diana herself?"

Akko blinked, suddenly realizing the implication. She looked around the dining hall and suddenly realized that Diana was, in fact, not in attendance. How strange….

* * *

Akko knew the whole problem might be solved tomorrow without their help, but she wasn't about to pass up a chance to speak to Alessa if it turned up – and to her delight it did, midmorning when they were being led to Magic Astrology by Professor Ymir.

With the additional workload of shepherding students between classes and patrolling the corridors at night on top of teaching their classes, the staff was hardly getting any sleep these days. This was made plainly obvious when Professor Ymir, who was usually the slovenliest dressed teacher on staff, could barely get herself dressed in something semi-presentable with huge, dark bags under her eyes and her long hair clinging to the side of her face by what looked like drool.

"I swear, I'm gonna stick my foot straight up her ass," she complained, ushering them around a corner. "The BSAA is bringing over the cure tonight, so what's the point of us even having to escort everyone around the castle anymore? I swear, if I have to walk another girl to the bathroom because of their 'lady problems', I'm gonna slap a –"

"You deserve a little break after everything you've done, Professor Lenz," said Lotte suddenly.

"Thank you, Jansson," said Ymir gratefully while they waited for a long line of Corona students to pass. "Everything should be settled by tomorrow morning, and I already have enough going on without having to walk students to classes and standing guard all night…."

"That's right," said Akko, catching on. "Why don't you leave us here, Professor, we've only got one more hall to go – "

"You know, Kagari, I think I will," said Ymir. "I'm gonna go take a nap in my office. If anybody needs me – don't."

And she hurried off.

"Nice con, Lotte," Amanda complimented her as they walked up. "Now we can finally ditch the stiffs. I've been meaning to…'borrow' something Elma's office for a while now."

Amanda, Jasminka, and Constanze turned down a different corridor and nobody made any move to stop them, likely too scared to wonder on their own. Akko didn't have time to worry about them. She and Lotte let the rest of the Polaris students draw ahead of them, then started down a side passage and hurried off towards the ground floor. But just as they were congratulating each other on their brilliant scheme –

"Kagari? Jansson? What are you doing here?"

It was Annabel Crème, carrying a stack of papers with a blank stare.

"We were – we were – "Lotte stammered. "We were looking for – for – "

"Uh, the quarantine zone," said Akko. Lotte and Annabel Crème both looked at her.

"One of the victims is my childhood friend, Nanoha," Akko went on hurriedly, treading on Lotte's foot, "and I thought we'd sneak into the quarantine zone, you know, and tell her that they found a vaccine and, er, not to worry – "

"Please, just stop," said Annabel Crème with an exasperated sigh. "I've read and written enough _Night Fall_ to know a terrible excuse when I hear one. For one thing, you don't even know where the quarantine zone is – only the staff does. Secondly, you couldn't even get inside if you wanted to. Not only is it dangerous, but only a passkey carried by the teachers can get you it. If you're going to make up a story, at least choose something a little more sensible."

"Are you going to turn us in, Professor Crème?" asked Lotte, worried.

"I honestly don't care," said Annabel Crème. "By this time tomorrow, everything will be over and I'll finally be leaving this stupid school. That's why I'm packing my office right now."

"What? You're leaving?" gasped Lotte. "But why?"

"My position here was only ever temporary," Annabel Crème admitted. "I never planned on staying past this year. Truth be told, I never even wanted to be here in the first place. But my mommy – I mean, my publisher thought it would be good for me. Today was my last class – I'll be leaving first thing in the morning."

"But – " Lotte started, but was interrupted by Akko.

"Excuse me, Professor? But what's that?"

She was pointing to the stack of papers in Annabel Crème's hands. She took note that instead of letters, the entire text was written in dots, half-circles, and crescents.

"Oh, this?" said Annabel Crème. "Just some last bit of work before I leave. Professor Finnelan asked me to translate some old texts to use for her Alchemy class. It's written in – "

The Luna Alphabet?" gasped Akko. "You can translate it?"

"I spent two years studying the Luna Alphabet so I could decipher some ancient text to use as reference material for _Night Fall,_ " said Annabel Crème.

There was no way this was possible, Akko thought; it was too good to be true. But if it was, then this could be the opportunity they were looking for. She turned to Lotte, who shared a similar train of thought as she opened up her school bag. She pulled out the weathered sheets of papers that were Professor Croix's research notes, having taken to carrying them around should they find a way to read the ancient language. Looks like that time is now.

"Um, Professor Crème, can we ask you a favor," said Lotte, holding out the papers. "Can you translate these for us. It's really important."

Annabel Crème took the research notes, her eyes flying across the paper without blinking.

"Hmm, shouldn't be that difficult to translate," said Annabel Crème. "But...if I'm going to do you a favor, then you have to do a favor for me in return."

"What kind of favor?" asked Lotte curiously.

"Who cares?" said Akko. "We'll do anything, Professor."

Annabel Crème nodded at the acceptance of the deal, setting aside her stack of papers on the windowsill and holding out the research papers from herself. The tiny blonde teacher whipped out her black fountain pen with a twirl of her fingers, holding the tool as if brandishing a weapon, and then put pen to paper. Her hand moved as a blur, quickly going from one paper to the next. Akko leaned over the diminutive teacher and noticed how the moon symbols were being rewritten in English letters; still slightly difficult for Akko, but not as much as before.

It was only but a moment later when Annabel Crème's hand came to a stop on the final letter, the pen tip sizzling.

"There, I translated the whole text," said Annabel Crème, passing the research over to Akko. "It looks like some sort of diary. Where did you say you found this?"

"Do you really care?" asked Akko.

"No, I guess not," said Annabel Crème, shrugging her shoulder. "I've completed my end of the deal, now it's your turn. You owe me a favor."

"Sure, it's only fair," said Lotte, nodding. "What do you need?"

Annabel Crème said nothing at first, only staring at Lotte like she was some fascinating creature. Then, quite suddenly, she snatched Lotte's hand from her side and held it out, setting her still-smoking pen in her palm. Lotte stared at the pen, mouth agape, looking looking up at her idol. Then, with a very dry and monotone voice, Annabel Crème said:

"I want you to be the next Annabel Crème."

"…huh?" said Lotte slowly. "I'm…sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly."

"I said, I want you to be the next Annabel Crème," Annabel Crème repeated.

"But…I don't understand," said Lotte, shaking her head dimly. "You're Annabel Crème – "

"No, I'm not," said Annabel Crème quickly. "There truth is, the real Annabel Crème died over a hundred years ago. Before she died, she created a magic fountain pen that would be passed on to the person most worthy to carry it and they would inherit the title of Annabel Crème. The identity of Annabel Crème has been passed on for over a hundred and twenty years, each one using that very same fountain pen. I was the twelfth Annabel Crème, and now you are the thirteenth."

"B-B-B-But, I can't!" Lotte sputtered sporadically. "I'm not – this isn't – but you're Annabel Crème!"

"No, I'm Marie-Anne Lait, a normal human girl from Annecy," said Annabel Crème. "I never had any magical power – it all came from that fountain pen. And without it, I don't belong here."

"But I can't be the new Annabel Crème!" shouted Lotte hysterically. "I won't accept it!"

"Then the _Night Fall_ series that you love so much will disappear," said Annabel Crème coldly. "If you don't write, it will all come to an end. It's completely up to you, Lotte Jansson – I mean, Annabel Crème."

Annabel – or as she called herself now, Marie-Anne – picked up her stack of untranslated papers off the window and walked Akko and Lotte without even a glance back. Lotte stood rooted to her spot, looking at the pen like it was toxic.

"I'm…I'm Annabel Crème now…," murmured Lotte.

"Way to go, Lotte!" Akko cheered, slapping Lotte on the back. "We can read Professor Croix's notes and you're gonna be the next writer of _Night Fall_! Things are finally going our way!"

"But I never – " Lotte mumbled, but was cut off by Akko again.

"Okay! Let's see if there's anything Professor Croix wrote that can clear her name!"

Akko smoother out the papers and held them up so that the light outside fell on the freshly printed words. Lotte sighed, pocketed her new fountain pen, and leaned close to read it, too.

August 11th

 _ **My sixth year has barely started and already I've been approached for my work. I've been putting out papers since my second year, but no one took me seriously because I'm only a student. But someone appreciates my genius. His name is Albert Wesker. He's a high-ranking member in the Umbrella Corporation, the largest pharmaceutical and medical conglomerate in the world. Wesker holds high praise for my ideas in biochemistry, particularly my research on the Sonnentreppe. He thinks that my research could help start a new revolution in pharmaceutics.**_

 _ **I can't wait to tell Chariot and the others.**_

August 20th

 _ **Albert Wesker came back earlier this week and said that the Umbrella Corporation is commissioning me to work on their latest project. They're going off my research on the Sonnentreppe and believe that it can be synthesized into a powerful medicine. I know many brilliant witches have tried for centuries, but no one has succeeded since the Olde Witch Woodward, and at least she had the help of the Claiomh Solais. I wouldn't trust Chariot in my lab if she was the last person on earth. She may be cute, but she's clumsy as all hell. I'd most likely die in a horrible, fiery explosion.**_

 _ **I think I'll bring Alessa Gillespie in. She's been a remarkably helpful and bright assistant in the past, plus her unique skill set in psionic telemetry and organic manipulation, both of which I believe will be extremely useful in our undertaking.**_

 _ **This is the chance we've been waiting for. This is our chance to shine.**_

December 6th

 _ **It's taken many months, but I believe we are on the verge of making an actually functioning cure with the Sonnentreppe. If everything works out as planned, we will have invented a new type of vaccine that was heal all known disease – a modern day panacea. I keep getting the feeling that we would have been able to do it faster had it not been for the Umbrella Corporation's constant interference. It seems like every other week that Wesker comes down to Luna Nova personally and requests to make some specific changes to the formula. I always thought they were perfect on their own, but it's not my place to question it.**_

 _ **Well, I suppose he has his reasons. Wesker has been involved in this project much longer than I have – before I was even born, in fact. I guess a part of him feels jealous that I was able to crack the formula at the age of sixteen than he was at thirty-one. I managed to compensate his demands with making any changes to the core base of the formula. He's probably expecting me to fail with this, but I'm much more intelligent than he realizes. Give it another month and everyone will be seeing my name in the history books.**_

March 19th

 _ **Okay, so it took a lot long than I had initially predicted, no thanks to Wesker's constant interference. He's always making changes whenever he sees fit, but luckily, he hasn't noticed the most crucial ingredient to my vaccine. What the higher ups in Umbrella don't know is that the secret to my new formula is my own assistant, Alessa. As it turns out, Alessa possesses a unique ability that allows her to alternate her biology in any way she desires, even turn her own blood into a physical tool. It's called Deadman Syndrome, a term coined by scientists in Japan who, for some reason, converted a prison for these types of people into a theme park.**_

 _ **With Alessa's power, the formula has become adaptable. No matter what type of person it may be, no matter how strong the immune system might be, the formula will instinctively convert itself to accommodate and assimilate. This would never have been possible without Alessa's help; she deserves as much of the credit as I do.**_

 _ **Some of the Umbrella scientists are taking a sample of my work to a mansion outside of Raccoon City in America. They think it could be used for another purpose. I can't imagine what it might be, but I suppose it won't let hurt anybody to take it. After all, what's the worst that can happen?**_

April 22nd

 _ **I noticed that when I tested the formula samples of the sick students in the hospital wing, all their ailments are cured, but they begin to experience strange side-effects. They hear voices of a girl that isn't there and sometimes see apparitions one minute that are gone the next. I asked for a description from the students and they all say the same thing: an American girl, short brown hair, wide blue eyes, and pale skin. All of these descriptions sound eerily similar to Alessa, but that's just a coincidence…right?**_

May 29th

 _ **How could I have been such a fool?! All those changes that Wesker had me make, they weren't sabotage, he was tricking me into creating something entirely different than what the formula had intended!**_

 _ **He came personally to boast about it. He calls it the Hive Virus. What it does is infect the minds of thousands, forming a sort of hive-mind that answers to the will of what Wesker refers to as the Hive Queen. He's probably talking about Alessa. He knew more about my project than I realized. He's already taken a sample of my completed work for himself and is sending it to a pharmaceutical company owned by known members of the Purifiers – I suppose his loyalty to Umbrella was a ruse as well. He bragged about how they were going to create a new Hive Queen from the "Mold" sample he took.**_

 _ **That son of a bitch.**_

 _ **The worst part is that the Hive Virus can't be cured. Because of Alessa's blood that was used as a base, the virus will alter itself to survive, making any vaccination only temporary. The only real way to destroy the Hive Virus is to kill the Hive Queen. But I could never bring myself to kill Alessa for my mistake. There must be a better way.**_

June 13th

 _ **I don't have much time to write – this will likely be my last entry.**_

 _ **I was close to blowing the whistle on the Umbrella Corporation, but Wesker came back to cover their tracks. He cornered Alessa in the laboratory in the New Moon Tower and burned her alive; he knocked me out cold before I could stop him. When I came to, Wesker was gone, no doubt off to report my activities to the governors to discredit me. I found Alessa on the floor, covered in first, second, and third-degree burns. But amazingly enough, she was still alive, but only barely. I had to work fast. I managed to slap together enough parts around the lab to build a makeshift cryo-container, allowing me to freeze Alessa so that she can live without suffering. I know there will never be a cure for her, but I can't bear the thought of her dying because of me.**_

 _ **I know Wesker will try to look for Alessa again once he realizes that she isn't dead, so I sealed up the laboratory with an ancient spell so that only those who know the password will be able to enter. I'm sending my notes with one of my Fuel Spirit creatures and will erase my own memory to make sure no one ever finds Alessa or the Hive Virus again.**_

 _ **If you are reading this, then that means the virus has returned and I have failed my mission. Now it is up to you.**_

 _ **If a permanent cure has not been developed, then there is only one way left to stop it: you must kill Alessa. As much as it pains me to write this, I have allowed my selfishness to harm too many people already. If you seek to enter my laboratory and end this curse I created, remember these words: "You do not get the things that you dream of, you get the things you work for."**_

 _ **~ Croix Meridies**_

Akko and Lotte stared at the final sentence, both of them hardly breathing as they allowed the information to sink in.

"Lotte," Akko spoke softly. "This is it. This is all the proof we need to show everyone that it wasn't Professor Croix who made the virus. She was tricked by Albert Wesker; she had no idea what she was making. And the Hive Queen – it really is Alessa. She's still alive, and she's still in the tower. She's in Professor Croix's old lab!"

"…'any vaccination only temporary'," Lotte read the passage again. "That means the BSAA's cure isn't going to work. By tomorrow morning, the infected people will be released from the quarantine zone and they'll just go back to being zombies and infecting other people. The BSAA is walking into a trap!"

"Whoever the Plague-Bearer is probably knew that," said Akko.

"What are we going to do?" said Lotte, whose eyes were flashing. "Should we go straight to Professor Finnelan?"

"Let's go to the staff room," said Akko. "She'll be there in ten minutes. It's nearly break."

They ran upstairs. Not wanting to be discovered hanging around another corridor, they went straight into the deserted staff room. It was a large, paneled room full of dark, wooden chairs, an extra-large refrigerator, what looked like a fusion-powered microwave, and a bunch of personal effects from the teachers including Professor Akane's manga collection and Professor Cosmos' potted plants. Akko and Lotte paced around, too excited to sit down.

But the bell to signal break never came.

Instead, echoing through the corridors came Professor Finnelan's voice over the school loudspeakers.

" _All students are to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers report to the staff room. Immediately, please._ "

Akko wheeled around to stare at Lotte.

"Not another infection? Not now?"

"What'll we do?" said Lotte, aghast. "Go back to the dormitory?"

"No," said Akko, glancing around. There was an ugly sort of wardrobe to her left, full of teachers' coats. "In here. Let's hear what it's all about. Then we can tell them what we've found out."

They hid themselves inside it, listening to the rumbling of hundreds of people moving overhead, and the staff room door banging open. From between the musty folds of the coats, they watched the teachers filtering into the room. Some of them were looking puzzled, others downright scared. Then Professor Finnelan arrived.

"It has happened," she told the silent staff room. "A student has been taken by the Purifiers."

Professor Cosmos let out a squeal. Ursula clapped her hands over her mouth. Professor Hex gripped the back of a chair very hard and said, "How can you be sure?"

"They left another message," said Professor Finnelan, who was very white. "Right underneath the first one. _'The witch shall be burned for her sins._ '

Professor Kiki burst into tears.

"Who is it?" said Ursula, who had sunk, weak-kneed, into a chair. "Which student?"

"Diana Cavendish," said Professor Finnelan.

She didn't realize it right away, but Akko suddenly felt very weak, sliding silently onto the wardrobe floor. Her mind was racing – _Diana has been taken_ – she only lost touch with reality for a moment, until Professor Finnelan's sharp voice brought her back.

"We shall have to send all the students home tomorrow," said Professor Finnelan. "This is the end of Luna Nova Academy. Professor Holbrooke always said…"

The staffroom door banged open again. For one wild moment, Akko was sure it would be Professor Holbrooke. But it was Annabel – or rather, Marie-Anne Lait – looking particularly exasperated.

"Is there a reason why I've been call, too? I'm not a teacher anymore, you know, I already turned in my resignation."

"Annabel, please, we need all the help we can get," said Ursula, clasping her hands in a pleading way. "The Purifiers have taken a student. They plan to burn her. We should round up any help available and – "

"Let me just stop you right there," said Marie-Anne rudely. "First of all, you don't even have the slightest clue where these Purifiers are hiding. They're been walking around under your noses for a whole year. If you haven't found them by now, then you're never going to find them. Second of all, I'm not Annabel anymore. I already gave my pen to someone else, so that means I'm just a normal human girl now. You honestly can't expect me fight someone capable of infect demi-humans while I'm powerless, can you?"

Professor Ursula looked like she wanted to argue, but she nothing came out when she opened her mouth. She turned to the rest of the teaching staff looking for support, but they all shared a look of hopelessness, purposely looking anywhere but Ursula. No matter how much they wanted to save Diana – she was practically royalty in this school – the fact of the matter is there are just as clueless about everything that's going on as Akko was.

"Listen, I get that you want to save her," said Marie-Anne with a hint of rare kindness. "Believe me, if there was any way I could help, I would. But the truth is, I'm just a dumb little girl who couldn't even write a half-decent book. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to my office and finish packing my things."

And she left the room.

"I'm afraid," said Professor Finnelan, lowering her head with misty eyes, "that she is right. There is nothing more we can do. The Heads of Houses should go and inform their students what has happened. Tell them the Mystic Rail will take them home first thing tomorrow. Will the rest of you please make sure no student has been left outside their dormitories?"

The teachers rose and left, one by one.

* * *

It was probably the worst day of Akko's entire life. She sat in a corner of the Polaris common room, staring at nothing in particular. Lotte had come to comfort her, of course, and Akko didn't object when Sucy brought her some tea or when Jasminka made her some cookies, nor when Constanze patted her leg or when Amanda pulled her into a tender one-armed embrace. The idea that one of them might be the Plague-Bearer didn't seem to matter anymore; she just wanted to be with her friends right now.

No afternoon ever lasted as long as that one, nor had Polaris Tower ever been so crowded, yet so quiet. Even if she was from a different House, every looked up to and respected Diana. It was near sunset when Sucy, Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka went up to bed, unable to sit there any longer.

"How did they do it?" said Akko, speaking for the first time since they had entered the wardrobe in the staff room. "I just…don't know what to think anymore. I mean, Diana is the greatest witch to set foot in Luna Nova since Jennifer. She would never have been caught, even by the Purifiers…unless the Plague-Bearer finally got to her. If that's true, it had to have been someone she knew. She would never have let her guard down otherwise…."

Akko could see the sun sinking, blood-red, below the skyline. This was the worst she had ever felt. If only there was something they could do. Anything.

"Lotte," said Akko. "D'you think there's any chance at all she's not – you know – "

Lotte was hesitant to answer for obvious reasons. It was hard to imagine a radical group like the Purifiers would leave a pure-blooded witch like Diana alive.

"…We should go see Annabel again," Lotte said suddenly. "Maybe she can help us?"

"How do you figure that?" said Akko. "She made it pretty clear that she's not interested in helping anyone."

"Professor Croix's research notes were written in the Luna Alphabet," said Lotte, "and it said in her final entry to remember the words to enter her laboratory. What if those words are actually some kind of password? If that's true, then it's probably likely that the password is spoken in the Luna Alphabet as well. If we could get Annabel to read the words in its original text, maybe it can open the door to Professor Croix's lab. Then we can destroy Alessa's body and kill this virus once and for all. I don't know if it will bring Diana back, but the least we can do is make sure this virus doesn't hurt anyone else again."

Because Akko couldn't think of anything else to do, and because she wanted to be doing something, she agreed. The Polaris students around them were so miserable that nobody tried to stop them as they got up, crossed the room, and left through the archway.

Darkness was falling as they walked down to Marie-Anne's office. Akko knocked on the door, but was met only with silence. Akko and Lotte shared a look before slowly pushing the door inward and entered.

Her office had been almost completely stripped. A small pyramid of boxes was pushed to one side of the room labeled " **Books** " and two smaller boxes lay open on the floor. A dozen gothic Lolita styled dresses had been neatly folded into one of them; bundles of office supplies had been lazily thrown in the other. The bookshelves appeared to be in the process of being taken down when Marie-Anne decided to take a break. The diminutive former author was sitting at her desk, staring at her smartphone with a depressed sigh.

"It's all the same," murmured Marie-Anne. "I should have known I wasn't cut out for this. What was I thinking, being Annabel Crème? So stupid…."

"Professor Crème?" Lotte spoke tentatively.

Marie-Anna screamed and fell backwards in her chair, having not notice Akko and Lotte walking in until they were at her desk.

"W-what do you want?" yelped Marie-Anne, pulling herself up over the edge of her desk. "Even if you beg me, I won't take that fountain pen back!"

"We couldn't care less about your stupid pen or your stupid book series – " said Akko, but quickly cut herself short when Lotte and Marie-Anne started leering at her venomously. "Er, sorry, just a little emotional right now."

"Professor Crème," said Lotte softly, "we were hoping you could help us with something. We think there might be a way to end this plague one and for all."

"How could I help you?" said Marie-Anne with a disbelieving tone. "I was a terrible teacher from the start, just as much as I was a terrible author. I can't do anything - "

"That's not true!" shouted Lotte, making Akko and Marie-Anne jump. "You're a good teacher – admittedly, not the best – but you are an amazing author! The previous Annabel Crème obviously knew that or else she wouldn't have given you the fountain pen in the first place! You have real talent!"

"I'm not talented at all!" said Marie-Anne, leering as she held up her phone. It looked like a forum page for the _Night Fall_ series. "Everyone's been saying that the latest _Night Fall_ books have been a train wreck! Even my own students make fun of them!"

"Well, it's true that I never expected Arthur to go to space…," said Lotte.

"See?!" snapped Marie-Anne.

"I was surprised," Lotte continued, "but he's been unconsciously wanting to go to space for the longest time. It's just like when his Oedipus complex was revealed in the past. Experts have been predicting it for ages! It's something every fan knows!"

"Didn't you already say this before – " Akko started, but Lotte shushed her.

"We've always been waiting for this development!" Lotte continued with a hint of fanaticism.

"But that's just what a small part of the fanbase thinks," said Marie-Anne, staring down depressingly. "Ever since I started writing, I've been flamed like crazy."

"Now _that's_ only a small part of the fanbase," said Lotte, giggling. "The Prison Arc, the chapter when Belle caught the nuke with her bare hands, and the saga of them aiming for the A Capella world championship were all really interesting! It's like, how could you possibly not enjoy all that?"

"I just wrote those because I thought they were interesting," mumbled Marie-Anne. "But how am I supposed to stand back up when they say 'stop writing' and 'this sucks' and call each new volume worthless? I've had enough…."

"Do you love _Night Fall_?" asked Lotte suddenly.

"Huh?" Maria-Anne perked up, confused.

"What's your favorite book?" said Lotte. "Which book do you like the most?"

"Um…Volume 363 when – "

"The one where Edgar lends Arthur his shoehorn?" Lotte squealed.

"Yeah! I knew I wanted to write that one when I started!" said Marie-Anne, looking more cheerful than when she was a few seconds ago.

"Edgar hands over the shoehorn with his left hand, right?" said Lotte. "His clan believes that the left hand is the symbol of life. And he handed him the shoehorn he received from his father with his left hand! That means – "

"You're right!" Marie-Anne gasped. "I never even realized!"

"I wonder if I should use my newfound powers of invisibility for good or for evil...," said Akko sarcastically from her tiny little corner.

"You really are a prodigy if you can write that subconsciously," Lotte said brightly to Marie-Anne.

"I grew up reading _Night Fall_ , so I really love it," she said.

"It was the same for me," said Lotte, smiling. "I think there are kids like that all over the world. But you're the only one who loves it more than anyone and also has the ability to add to it. If you stopped writing now, then the real _Night Fall_ would be gone forever."

Lotte pulled out the black and gold fountain pen from her pocket holding it out to Marie-Anne like it was a coveted treasure.

"Only you can write the _Night Fall_ of our time," said Lotte softly. "So…will you accept this pen once more, Marie-Anne Lait?"

Marie-Anne stared at the pen, her eyes wide and watery. She was slow and hesitant, but she stretched out her hand, brushing the writing tool gently with her fingertips, before fully picking it up. And as if sensing it was back where it belonged, the pen gave a warm, vibrant glow of green energy that surrounded Marie-Anne before it faded. The small author hugged the pen close to her chest, giving them the first true smile since they had met her.

"Please…call me Annabel Crème, " said Annabel happily.

"Uh, not to ruin this tender moment or anything," Akko interrupted; you could practically hear the record scratching, "but we're kind of on the clock here."

"Right," said Annabel Crème. "You said something about knowing how to stop this virus. If there's any way I can help – "

"This!" Akko quickly jumped forward, flashing Croix's research papers. "We think that the key to stopping the virus is in Professor Croix's old lab at the abandoned tower. We think the password to getting in is on here, but we need someone who's able to speak the Luna Alphabet. You do know how to speak it, right?"

"I told you, I spent two years researching it," said Annabel Crème, taking the papers. "If the answer is on these pages, then I should be able to find it. We should hurry up to the tower before the morning comes and the other professors send everyone home."

"Wait? We?" said Akko, blinking in surprise. "You're coming, too?"

"You helped me get back my love for writing," said Annabel Crème. "The least I can do is help you in return."

They stealthily slipped out of the office, down the nearest staircase, and along the dark corridors until they reached the large front doors. The entrance hall was conveniently lacking any security at the moment, despite there being an epidemic on the loose and anyone could just walk in and out of the doors without anyone knowing. They swept across the lawn and crossed the small patch of trees to the tower.

Akko went inside first. The tower was still as much of a mess as when they last visited. The three of them marched up the spiraling staircase until they reached the top where the door to Croix's lab remained untouched.

Alessa Gillespie was sitting on the ledge of the pillar, head resting on her fist and staring into nothingness.

"Oh, it's you," she said when she saw Akko. "What do you want this time?"

"You were Professor Croix's assistant, weren't you?" said Akko. It wasn't a question, it was a statement. "You helped create the Hive Virus."

Alessa's half-burned face broke out into a small smile; the sound of cracking skin made them cringe. Alessa stood up, turned around, hands behind her back, looking as though she had never been asked something so flattering.

"Oh, yes, Croix and I were research partners ever since our fourth year," she said with relish. "Croix was such a brilliant girl, but she always let her desires get in the way of her common sense. I thought she would have learned her lesson after the whole flesh-eating robots fiasco. But when Albert Wesker showed up and started showering her with money and a new project, there was no talking to her. I never trusted him; he wore sunglasses, and everyone knows only bad guys where sunglasses. When she finally figured it out, Wesker came to the lab to hide the evidence of his involvement. He destroyed all the letters and reworked the funds to make it look like Croix was stealing from the Umbrella Corporation. And then, he came after me to make sure no one would find the virus. He threw me around like a ragdoll, toying with me, until he got bored and burned me alive with the chemicals in Croix's lab. And that's how I dead."

"Actually, Alessa…," said Akko slowly. "I don't think you actually died."

"What are you talking about?" said Alessa, leering at her. "I would think I would know if I was dead, Akko Kagari. I mean, look at me."

"Professor Croix's notes said that you were still alive when she found you," said Lotte quickly. "You were barely breathing; she thought you were going to die. So she froze your body to save your life."

"But then how come I am like this? Asked Alessa, gesturing to herself. "Every aspect of my being says that I am a poltergeist, from walking through walls, to possessing the living. So how can I do all these things if I'm still alive?"

"Astral projection," said Annabel Crème, drawing everyone's eyes. "Also called an 'out of body experience' – a very stupid term if I've ever heard one. It's a technique that allows a person to separate their spirits from their physical bodies, sometimes giving them the essence of a ghost or poltergeists. I know there are some people who can do this willingly, but most people who undergo astral project is due to them being in a state of near-death."

"Okay then, where's my body?" asked Alessa.

"It's in Professor Croix's old lab," said Akko.

She, Lotte, Annabel Crème, and Alessa approached the massive vault-like door. The walls and floor were cut open like fresh wounds from the unknown intruder, but the metal didn't have so much as a scratch. Akko caressed the smooth steel; she could feel a subtle vibration underneath her palm, as if the door itself was breathing. When Alessa touched the door, however, a spark of static snapped at her fingers, causing her to pull back.

"That explains why I never found it," said Alessa, nodding. "The door is made of Nth – completely unbreakable and spirits like myself can't touch the stuff without getting hurt. Croix was always so cautious when it came to her research. If only she had applied that to her better judgment skills."

"How do we get in?" asked Annabel Crème.

"There was a passage on the last page of Croix's note," said Lotte. She shuffled through the papers until she found the one she was looking for, handing it to Annabel. "It says: 'If you seek to enter my laboratory and end this curse I created, remember these words:'You do not get the things that you dream of, you get the things you work for.'"

"We think that the password might be in the Luna Alphabet," said Akko. "Can you translate it again, Professor?"

"Hmm…let me think," hummed Annabel Crème, touching her chin and lowering her brow in thought. "'You do not get the things you dream of, you get the things you work for'…, If I'm remembering this right, then the translation should be… _**Phaidoari Afairynghor**_!"

A loud bang ripped through the tower like cannon fire; a rumbling noise clattered behind the vault door. The door creaked as it slowly cracked open; Akko and the others stepped back to get out of the swinging door's path. And there they were, standing at the hole in the wall that led to Professor Croix's lab, which had remained untouched for twenty years, and Akko, shaking from head to foot, walked inside.

* * *

 **I kind of like the way this chapter turned out; much better than the others are. And so, after sixteen chapters of tricks, trolls, and a good number of decent guesses from the readers, the answers to everything will finally be revealed.**

 **Next chapter: The Plague-Bearer**


	17. The Plague-Bearer

**Akko Kagari and the Evil Within**

 **Chapter Seventeen: The Plague-Bearer**

They were standing at the end of a very long, dimly lit chamber. Weak florescent lights still had power, flicking inconsistently, towers of broken monitors and computers covered the walls, most caved inwards or ripped apart with their wires frayed and still sparking. Work benches were knocked on their sides; dusty old tools and half-finished gadgets littered the floor. And near the entrance was a great black scorch mark on the floor; Alessa purposely floated around it.

Her heart beating very fast, Akko stood listening to the chilling silence. Did the Plague-Bearer know they were coming? Had they secretly been following them? Were they going to stop them? Akko wasn't so sure.

She pulled out her wand and moved forward, tiptoeing over destroyed lab equipment. Every careful footstep echoed loudly off the shadowy walls. Every so often, a random spark caused her, Lotte, and Annabel Crème to jump, which would cause them to bump into the broken equipment and make even more noise. Their nerves were strained; anything seemed to set them off, and not without reason.

Then, as they stepped closer to the end of the chamber, a strange cylindrical machine loomed into view, standing against the back wall, giving off an eerie blue glow.

It seemed to be a container of some kind; twice their size and gave of a chill that sent shivers down their spines. It looked to be haphazardly made, like whoever was building it didn't have the materials they were looking for and just slapped on what would fit. There was a cracked monitor connecting to it on the side displaying an electrocardiograph that, according to the labels on the side, were keeping track of brainwaves and heart rate. The waves were slow, but still moving. And inside the container, through a thin fog, was a body; completely hairless and black as coal with an endless web of cracks running through its skin.

"Is that you, Alessa?" asked Lotte.

"Yeah," said Alessa grimly. "Or at least what's left of me after Wesker was through. It looks even worse than what I remember…."

"How do you think we get it open?" asked Akko curiously as she approached the container. "You think Professor Croix set up another password or – "

She reached out to touch it, but pulled back sharply when a blast of green energy narrowly brushed over her fingers and exploded against the wall. The four of them spun around; someone was walking through the lab entrance, holding them at wand point. Akko and Lotte drew up their wands and Annabel Crème readied her pen. But when the intruder stepped under the flicking florescent lights, Akko unconsciously dropped her wand on the floor.

" _Diana!_ " Akko gasped. She started sprinting to her when Diana shot another blast of green energy at her feet, stopping Akko in her tracks. "Diana, what are you doing? Are you okay? How did you escape?"

"Um…Akko…you might want to take a closer look at her," said Lotte nervously.

As the lights above them flickered on and off, Akko just now started to notice the drastic changes to Diana since the last time she had seen her. Her normally fair complexion was chalk-white, black veins spreading across her face and arms like darkened roots, her golden hair now a pale silver color, and her eyes were red, wide, and unblinking. Diana waved her wand in the air and this time shot a red spark that whizzed past Akko's hair, singeing the top of her small ponytail. If Diana was infected, she seemed a lot more coherent than any of the others. Maybe there was a chance to snap her out of it –

"Diana, can you hear me?" said Akko, holding her hands up in surrender. "It's me, Akko. I'm your friend – okay, maybe not friend because you're still kinda mad at me for keeping secrets – but you still like me – okay, admittedly, it's more like you tolerate me – but the point is – "

"She is not very good at this talking down thing, is she?" said Annabel Crème.

"Well, it is keeping her distracted," answered Lotte.

"It's pointless," said a soft voice. "Your voice can no longer reach her where she is."

Akko jumped and sidestepped to look over Diana's shoulder.

A small, black-haired girl was stepping out of the shadows, hands folded behind her back with a smug grin. Her complexion looked remarkably fair and her eyes were alight with renewed energy, but there was no mistaking her –

"Evie – _Evie Winters?_ "

"Actually, my real name is Eveline," she said with a soft chuckle. "But you can still call me Evie if you want to."

"What d'you mean, my voice won't reach her?" Akko said defensively. "Do you know something about this?"

"That seems like a dumb question to ask," said Eveline, laughing cruelly. "I know you're not that smart, but the situation should be obvious enough."

Akko stared at her, stepped back to join Lotte and Annabel Crème. The last time any of them had seen Eveline, she had been infected, and yet here she stood, more healthy and alive than any of them had seen before.

"…How did you get out of the quarantine zone?" asked Akko suspiciously. "Why aren't you infected?"

"Are you really that dense?" said Eveline. "I was never infected – well, that might be entirely true. To put it in a way that you can understand, I think it would be easy to say that I was never truly there to begin with. That supposed 'infection' never happened because there was nobody to infect."

"What are you talking about?" said Lotte confused. "Akko saw you, the teachers carried you, they dragged you to the quarantine zone!"

"They _think_ they did, but not really," said Eveline. "The mind is a very powerful tool. It can determine our view of reality, even if it differs from others. If a person believes something is real, then it will be. Sight, sound smell, touch, even taste – if all of these senses work together, they create the reality we know. That is what the Hive Virus does. It manipulates the sense of the mind, creating a reality that makes the victims easier to comply with the wishes of the Queen. Of course, it's not entirely perfect. Sometimes it only affects one or two senses at most, creating a distortion in their reality. It's very complex science."

"And what does that have to do with you?" questioned Annabel Crème.

"If people believed that Evie Winters was real, then she would be real," said Eveline. "It's a very basic concept. But, just like in one of your stories, once a character has lived out their usefulness, they need to be written off. Once the entire school was infected and Akko fell under suspicion, there was no need for Evie Winters to hang around anymore. So I became 'infected', which only served to solidify their beliefs, essentially backing Akko into a corner."

"It was you this whole time…," Akko murmured, feeling the anger starting to rise up. "You were the Plague-Bearer all along."

"Yes and no," said Eveline. "It's a lot more complicated than that."

Seething, Akko bent down to pick up her wand again.

But her wand was gone.

"Hey, what happened to my – ?"

She looked up. Eveline was still watching her – twirling Akko's wand between her fingers. Lotte and Annabel raised their own weapons, but they did not strike just yet. A smile curled the corners of Eveline's mouth.

"The truth is, Akko, I am not the Plague-Bearer," said Eveline. "I am the plague itself."

"What do you mean?" asked Akko.

"It's just as it sounds," said Eveline. "I am not a person, but the Hive Virus, manifesting myself in all of your minds just to give you the opportunity to explain everything. You deserve that much at least, after everything you've done for me this past year, Akko."

"What d'you mean?" asked Akko.

"Come now, haven't you figured it out yet?" said Eveline, snorting. "I may be the virus, but I am useless without a carrier from which I can spread my infection. Diana Cavendish knew who the real carrier was. That's why she told you that you were being deceived. And after Croix was drugged with the Golden Perfect, you immediately pinned the blame on your friends, completely forgetting that there was one more person in the room. The person who could have slipped the drug into her own tea without anyone knowing it…the same person who just so happened to be around when every single victim had turned…."

In that moment, Akko thought her heart had stopped; a chill rushing down her spine and finding it harder to breathe. Eveline's smile broadened as realization washed over her.

"Me…," Akko muttered in disbelief. "They were right…. The Plague-Bearer…is me?"

"Bingo," said Eveline jokingly. "Got it in one."

"You're wrong!" shouted Lotte defiantly. "Akko would never do that!"

"Yeah, you're right," said Eveline. "At least, not consciously, anyway."

"Explain yourself," Annabel Crème demanded.

"Well, since you asked so nicely, Professor," said Eveline. "I suppose in order to explain my story, I'll have to take you back to the beginning. Back to when my first form was conceived…."

Without warning, Akko felt like her head was being pounded inward by a dozen hammers. She clamped her eyes shut, gritted her teeth, and held her head, willing the pain to leave her. She could hear Lotte and Annabel jerking and grunting with effort; Eveline had gotten to them, too. And just when she thought her head was about to explode, the pain vanished; Akko's mind became clear once more.

She lifted her head and looked around, right away noticing that they were not in the abandoned tower anymore, but instead in what looked like an elaborate test facility where men in lab coats were hurrying between machines, shouting words that sounded miles away in Akko's ears. Albert Wesker stood out like a sore thumb in his black trench coat and sunglasses, the man looming overhead with a menacing stare and his hands folded behind his back.

Sitting in the chair in front of him was a girl – couldn't be older than eight or nine – that looked almost skeletal; her pale skin clinging to her skull and her black, matted hair clinging to her face. She didn't seem to have much awareness of where she was, only looking to the floor with a million-mile stare. And now that Akko had a better look at her, she could slightly see a resemblance between this girl and Alessa.

"You know the story of how Wesker took a piece of Croix's original Mold samples," said Eveline, pacing around the room so casually. "He wanted to make a new Hive Queen – one that he could control without the interference of a human morality. It took a lot of tries, believe me, but he and his followers managed to devise a way to create a fully functional human from the Mold. Sadly, Wesker never got to live to see its completion. Had he been alive, he probably would have told them that turning the Hive Queen into a child was probably not the best option. Sure, it made it easy for infiltration, but the little brat had the mind of a child to go with her looks, making it impossible to control her. You know how kids have temper tantrums - ?"

The environment suddenly shifted and they were now standing in the heart of a raging storm in the middle of the sea. Less than a mile away, they could barely make out a cargo ship that was covered in a strange fungus, like the ship itself had become infected.

"The little brat didn't very much like being cooped up in a lab," said Eveline. "She wanted to get out, to run away. So she contaminated the crew, killed them all for the sick pleasure of it, and ended up sinking the ship."

Another change of scenery; this time they were standing in a dimly lit dining room with several people sitting around the table (Akko only spared a glance at the "food" spread on it and quickly turned her eyes up), their faces covered in shadows. The only person visible in the weak candlelight was an elderly woman confined to a wheel chair, her head tilted back as if she were already dead. Eveline walked around the table, resting a hand on the old woman's shoulder.

"She ended up being found by a family in hick country America, where she converted them into her own twisted version of a family, infecting their minds and mutating their bodies. She started kidnapping people from the neighboring town to expand her 'family', but usually ended up killing them when they didn't satisfy her. What she failed to realize is that without the facilities medicines to maintain it, her body accelerated at an alarming rate that in only three short years, she had withered into a decrepit old woman. But as you can imagine, all these kidnappings wouldn't go unnoticed and eventually did come to destroy her.

"Now, you would think that's the end of the story, but it's not – it's only just the beginning…."

Now they were all standing outside in a damp and chilly forest surrounded by dying trees. A large household stood in front of them, but much of it looked like it had been caught in an explosion; a gaping hole was exposed in the wooden panels of the roof, every window smashed inwards, and the foundation of the building tilted sideways. A long coil of calcified rock was littered in front of the house and there was a man digging through, almost fanatically. It took a moment for Akko remember where she had seen him before – he was the owner of the Biohazard shop in Silent Hill.

"The only survivor of the family – Lucas Baker – was a disturbed man," said Eveline. "He was obsessed with the 'gift' that the little kid gave to him and simply lost his mind when she died. He tried to do everything he could to get it back – anything at all – "

Lucas Baker made a high pitch noise and ripped out something from the calcified rocks. It was a handful of sickly black mud, throbbing as if it were alive. Lucas Baker quickly stuffed the mud into a jam jar he had on his person and ran into the forest, giggling insanely.

"That was me, you know – the last surviving sample of a failed experiment," said Eveline. "Lucas Baker was never smart enough to figure out how to revive me – I'm not even sure he even remembered his own name after that. So I spent years, trapped in a jar on a shelf in a musty old store with no hope for freedom in sight. During my time of imprisonment, it had a lot of spare time to think and mature. Just when I thought that I was doomed to live in that jar forever…you come along, Akko…."

Akko knew where they ended up next. They were in the Biohazard Shop. Akko knew what was coming next….

There was a crash in the corner of the room. Akko spun around and saw herself, back in early August, just coming out of the failed Teleportation Spell and falling flat on her face; she still remembered the dull throb in her nose from where she landed on the cold, hard floor.

There was a quiet clatter on the shelf above Past-Akko. She looked up and noticed that a jam jar had been knocked over on its side, knocking the lid open and spilling a puddle of black sludge. The vile-looking mud slipped over the edge of the shelf, dripping down onto the back of Past-Akko's neck; she must not have noticed because she had been in pain at the time. As Past-Akko got gingerly to her feet, the black sludge seemed to be absorbed into Past-Akko's skin and disappear.

"That was the moment when you became the Plague-Bearer, Akko," said Eveline pleasantly. "When you and I came into contact, I was able to merge with you and leech of a little bit of your energy to gain strength. How fortunate I was that you just so happened to be a demi-human bursting with magical potential. I was able to regain my full strength overnight – thanks for that, by the way. My original plan was to just take over Akko's body and carry out my original purpose: to infect and kill Demi-Humans, just like the Purifiers who made me wanted. Unfortunately, there were some…complications?"

"What kind of complications?" asked Annabel Crème.

"For some reason, I couldn't control of Akko's mind," said Eveline, frowning. "I've never had a problem infecting anyone in the past, but there was something about her that was keeping me back. I still haven't figured out what it is, but I'm willing to bet it has something to do with that thing" – she used Akko's wand to point at the Shiny Rod at Akko's belt – "that damnable wand of yours. There was always something so strange about it. I couldn't take control of you for the longest time. Fortunately, I still managed to find a way around – "

Once again, the scenery changed and they suddenly found themselves in Amanda's room in New York. Amanda was sleeping face-down in her pillow, drool spilling out of the corner of her mouth as she snored loudly, and Past-Akko was asleep in her sleeping bag on the floor. It looked like they were having a peaceful slumber until Past-Akko's eyes suddenly snapped open, wide and unblinking. She quietly unzipped her sleeping bag and sat up like she was rising from the dead.

"I learned that same night that I do have some control over you, even if it's not much," said Eveline, smiling. "Whenever you are asleep or unconscious, the defenses around your mind weaken and I was able to temporarily take control."

Past-Akko stood over Amanda like a depraved stalker, staring in a creepy way, and then held her hand above her friend. Her skin secreted the black mold, dripping it on Amanda's cheek before it evaporated into her skin.

"In that short period of time, I began to spread my virus across," said Eveline. "Starting from the O'Neill family and then to the students and teachers at Luna Nova, building up my network slowly, waiting until just the right moment when I could turn them."

And then, finally, they returned to Croix's old laboratory in the present.

"Once I had them all under my control, I could force the Demi-humans to turn on each other, killing one another until the entire race was extinct. It was a brilliant plan. You have to give it to Wesker; he really knew his stuff."

"Except Diana saw straight through you," said Akko, gritting. "She knew you have infected her right from the start and has been fighting you all this time."

"Well, she certainly kept an annoying close watch on you once she realized she had been contaminated," said Eveline carelessly. "She started taking special antibiotics and herbs to stave off the infect, not that it would have done her any good – my virus is constantly adapting. There is no vaccine or potion that I cannot overcome. When she realized what was going on, she used her magic to channel her essence into the infection network that I had worked so hard to build, breaking off several of my connections. I'm sure you heard her – Diana's voice echoing in the back of your mind in the middle of the night, whispering into your ear."

"The voices…," Akko realized. "Those voices I kept hearing. They were Diana trying to break your control."

"She was an unexpected factor and made my job considerably more difficulty," said Eveline, frowning. "Every time I tried to catch her, she always managed to slip from my grasp. It was an annoying game of cat and mouse, to say the least, but I ended up learning something…delightful."

Akko didn't like that hungry gleam in Eveline's eyes. She slowly reached down to her belt, grasping the neck of the Shiny Rod.

"One of the unfortunate things about our arrangement," said Eveline slowly, "is that I couldn't willingly turn those who had been infected on my own thanks to whatever it is that is keeping me from taking control over you. But I learned that when you experienced a sensation of heightened emotion – fear, anger, jealousy, sadness – you unconsciously triggered the bacteria inside those I had already infected nearby. So when Diana tried to reach out for you that night on Halloween, you felt frightened and that is what allowed me to turn poor Lightning Farron into what she is now. I knew right away that I had to capitalize on that fear – "

"So you took control of Lightning and had her write the message on the wall," said Annabel Crème knowledgeably. "You took advantage of the Demi-human's natural fear of the Purifiers hoping that it would scare Akko into turning more of the students."

"Wow, you are incredibly smart for someone so small," said Eveline, chuckling. "Yeah, I was the wrote that wrote the threatening message on the wall. I knew the very thought of the Purifiers invading the school would send everyone into a panic. Faking my own 'infection' certainly helped things along. But what really sold it was the Dueling Club. The humiliation Akko suffered at Hannah's hand was enough to drive her into a fit of rage, thereby triggering her infection and cementing Akko as the Plague-Bearer and the source of everyone' scorn. It was the perfect setup: turn the entire school against Akko, filling her with anger and sorrow, and activating more bacteria over the course of the year. Just like you did when you felt the anger of those girls talking about you in the library…."

"Makoto and Professor Akane," muttered Akko.

"Unfortunately, you were stubborn as you are annoying," said Eveline, frowning. "You were intent on uncovering the real Plague-Bearer that you were willing to go to great lengths to find the truth, even drug your sweetheart with a truth potion" – she caressed Diana's still face tauntingly; Akko took a deep breath, holding back her anger. "Cavendish had already known too much and I feared that she would reveal my existence and foil my plan. Thankfully, she managed to stop herself before she could say anything. But not before she revealed a most wonderful piece of welcomed news to us."

"And what would that be?" asked Lotte, leering.

"I didn't know that it was Croix that set the base for my creation," said Eveline. "All this time, I thought Wesker was my real creator, and with him dead, I feared I would never return to full strength. But once I learned that it was Croix that made the first strain of my virus, I knew I had to find it. So when Akko went up to the dormitories that night after her failed interrogation, I pushed my way into her mind by force. It was very painful – for both of us – but it did what I needed. Akko was in a temporary coma for a week and I had ample time to search for Croix's original work. Naturally, the first place I looked was her old lab – "

"So that was you controlling Akko's body," said Alessa. "You were the one who kept coming back, breaking through the defenses and trying to open the door. But you could never get it open, not even when you used Akko's Shiny Rod. Sounds like Croix outsmarted you."

"You don't need to remind me," said Eveline, frowning. "I didn't want to leave empty-handed, so I took the Golden Perfect for insurance in case I ever got the chance to use it on Croix. After Akko woke up from her coma, I learned that I could now send subliminal commands into Akko's brain – a sort of post-hypnotic suggestion, if you will. I've been subtly driving Akko to uncover the secret about the original virus and learned about the Hive Queen through Croix's diary – "

"Yeah, about that," Akko interrupted. "Why did you destroy Professor Croix's diary anyway? I thought you wanted to find out where the Hive Queen was being kept."

"I gleaned all that I could from that diary," said Eveline, "plus I wanted to drive a wedge between your friends, knowing that your paranoia would lead you to suspect one of them. The less allies you had, the easier it would be for me to manipulate you. It was the same when I had you unconsciously send a message to the Magic Council about Croix's past and slip the Golden Perfect in her tea when no one was looking. And not only did I get Croix arrested, thereby keeping her from interfering with my plan, but I had the good fortunate of having Holbrooke removed as well. It was completely unintended, but it certainly welcomed. I must remember to thank Hanbridge after this is done…."

"So all this time you've just been leading us to do your bidding," said Akko, her hand squeezing the Shiny Rod so tightly it hurt. "Everything that's happened: the infected students, Professor Croix being arrested, Profess Holbrooke leaving, that ninja girl – "

"That one I had nothing to do with," said Eveline quickly. "That started before we contracted, remember? I have no idea why she's so hellbent on getting you out of school, and frankly, I don't care. All that matters, is that I got what I wanted, even with Cavendish's constant interference."

"What did you do to Miss Cavendish, anyway?" questioned Annabel Crème, narrowing her eyes.

"Oh, her?" Eveline gestured to Diana, giggling. "After Croix was arrested, Cavendish made one more attempt to break Akko's control, but I was waiting for her. When she got too close, I struck her down and forced my way into her mind. She struggled and cried, but I won her over in the end. Suddenly, I had the perfect little soldier, one who I could manipulate freely. Cavendish made the mistake of opening her mind, because now I've dug my roots in and there's no way to get me out now."

"That was during before the Chariot Race," said Akko. "I heard it while I was talking to Sucy and Lotte…just before…."

"Takamachi and that other girl was infected?" answered Eveline with a smug grin. "Yes, you were really scared when you started hearing the voices again, just enough to trigger another double infection. And on top of finally catching Cavendish – that was a good day.

"And now, after all the trials and tribulations, we have finally reached the endgame. At long last, the original Hive Queen is within my grasp. Once I rejoin with her consciousness, I will be able to spread my infection unhindered. All those who carry the seeds of my virus will finally turn and the extermination of the Demi-human race will begin. Finally, after so many centuries, their filth will come to an end. But why stop there? Once the Demi-Humans are dead, I will carry on towards the normal humans, spreading my control over the masses. Can you just imagine: the entire planet under one mind? It will be glorious – a new golden age."

"You're insane," growled Akko, barring her teeth. "You are sick, and demented, and you are going down..."

"Oh, _please_!" Eveline cackled. "After everything that's happened, you think you can stop me? I've infected the entire school right under your nose! I have Cavendish under my complete control! I drove Holbrooke out of the school without even trying! Croix was sentence to life in prison by the mere _memory_ of me! Who is there left to defeat me? You? The girl who can't even perform a simple transformation spell? You're deluding yourself if you think you stand a chance."

"I know I'm might not be as strong as everyone else," said Akko, staring with determination, "but I believe I will beat you with all my heart. And my believing heart is my magic!"

Eveline opened her mouth, no doubt to mock her, but froze.

There was a light glowing through Akko's pocket. Akko reached inside and pulled out the white cube they had recovered from the Arcturus forest. It was giving of a warm green glow, humming loudly in their ears, when the cube evaporated into a shower of white particles. Akko's eyes went wide and her mouth dropped in awe. Sitting in the middle of her palm was a green, marble-like jewel – the second Star of Arcturus!

The green gem glowed again and suddenly shot out of Akko's hand like a bullet, immediately inserting itself into the Shiny Rod's second slot.

Eveline began to laugh again. She laughed so hard that the dark chamber rang with it, as though ten Evelines were laughing at once –

"So you found another bauble for your little toy! How adorable! Do you feel brave, Akko? Do you feel safe now?"

Akko didn't answer. She didn't need to say it out loud, but she did feel much better than she had been moments ago; a fresh surge of courage filled her chest. Having the second Star of Arcturus made her feel as if her mother was there with her, and that's all she needed to stay her ground.

Eveline noticed the change in Akko's demeanor and frowned.

"So, you think you can beat me now?" scoffed Eveline. "Very well, let's test that theory, shall we? Let's match the power of the Hive Queen, the living plague that conquers all, against the famous Star-Born Child and her magic wand…. Goodbye, _Akko-senpai._ "

With that last word, Eveline seemed to evaporate into thin air.

Despite how unlikely it was, Akko hoped it meant that Eveline was gone for good. But then she felt an uncomfortable burning feeling in the pit of her stomach, making her double over and fall to one knee; Lotte and Annabel Crème rushed to her side in concern. The burning sensation traveled upwards through her chest, up her throat, and forced its way to her mouth. She tried to suppress it, but the urge was too powerful – Akko vomited all over the floor. Feeling like she had retched a week's worth of dinners, Akko wiped her mouth with her sleeve, groaning weakly. And, as disgusting as it might be, Akko looked at what she had coughed up.

It was nothing like the time when Hikari tricked into eating bad sushi; the sludge was a sickly-grayish color, covered in fungus, and seemed to pulse like a beating heart.

"Quick! Grab it!" Annabel Crème shouted suddenly.

But it was too late. The puddle of sludge zipped across the laboratory floor like a slug on nitro, slithering up to the cold chamber that housed Alessa's body, and dived head-first into the glass, shattering a small hole through it and worming its way inside. Through the hazy glass, they could see the sludge thrashing its way up to Alessa's body and seemingly disappearing near her head; likely it was entering the same way it exited Akko, which was a disgusting thought in her opinion. Then, without warning, the body started to writhe around in its chamber while the poltergeist of Alessa dropped to the floor, holding her head and screaming in agony.

"Alessa!" Lotte cried. "What's wrong?"

"The pain! It hurts! Make it stop!" screamed Alessa.

A deep rumbling filled the room, loosening the dust on the ceiling and knocking over anything that hadn't already been broken off. Akko and the others faced the freezing chamber as the glass shattered outwards; a massive, skeletal hand reached out and slammed onto the ground a few feet from them. A second arm emerged from the small container and together they hastily pulled out the rest of its form.

The creature that loomed over them was twisted and hideously malformed; it had no skin to concealing its rotting muscles and didn't have any legs to speak of, only ending at the knees where the skeleton of its spine and pelvis were grotesquely exposed. And its face – cracked and porcelain-like – bared a striking resemblance to Alessa with its eyes sown shut and its bald patches in its disheveled black hair.

The monster – Eveline – lurched closer toward them, half carrying itself due to its lack of legs. Akko, Lotte, and Annabel Crème backward away from it until Lotte tripped over a broken dusty old beaker and hit the ground hard. Drawn by the noise, Eveline turned her sightless gaze toward Lotte and opened its mouth with a rattling gasp, heaving a flood of gray mold to cover her entirely.

"Lotte!" Akko cried, attempting to run to her friend, but Annabel Crème held her back.

"Akko, stay back!" yelled Annabel Crème.

"But Lotte is – "

"Stop! Just look!"

The was movement underneath the gray sludge and, very slowly, Lotte started to emerge from it, the Mold sliding off her body like a wet surface. Akko felt her heart drop to her stomach when she saw that her best friend's skin was white as a bedsheet, thick black veins spreading across her face, with burning red eyes behind her thick glasses. Lotte made a heavy, rattling noise and slouched over to stand side-by-side with Diana, both of them turning their gazes on Akko and Annabel Crème while Eveline stared blindly at the ceiling. Then Diana spoke, her voice cold and hollow:

" _There is no saving your friends, Akko. You have already lost. Just give in._ "

"Never!" growled Akko furiously. " _ **Noctu Orfei Aude Fraetor**_!"

The Shiny Rod unraveled in Akko's hands, reshaping into the shape of a longbow. With a familiar sensation of power running through her veins, Akko pulled back the silver string and an arrow of green light formed on the notch. Akko turned the vibrating arrowhead toward Eveline's monstrous face and let loose the power of the Rod with a cry:

" **SHINY ARC!** "

The arrow traveled across the chamber, soaring over Diana and Lotte's heads. Eveline, following the sound of Akko's voice and the humming of the arrow, raised her arm to cover her face. The Shiny Arc ripped through Eveline's rotting flesh like a hot knife through butter; the limb dropped to the floor with a sickening _squelch_. Akko pumped her fist at her side, a feeling of self-accomplishment washing over her, when, to her horror, tendrils of gray mold started to slither from the amputated limb. The mold crawled up to join the stump in Eveline's arm and lifted the monster's lhand back up until it reconnected with the main body, looking like nothing had happened.

Akko stepped back fearfully; the Shiny Rod clattered on the ground where she dropped it, reverting to its natural state. And Diana laugh, making Akko's insides twist at how unfeeling it sounded.

" _You're attempts are worthless. Did you forget? I have been living inside of you for an entire year. I know every trick you have, understand every tactic that runs through that feeble organ you call a brain. There is nothing that you can do that I can't beat. It's a shame, really? You would have made the perfect Hive Queen, had you not been so stubborn. But since you cannot be turned, I have no other choice…. Kill her._ "

Diana and Lotte raised their wands in perfect sync and shot a pair of red sparks at Akko. But Annabel Crème stepped in between and her fountain pen glowed with magical energy as she started scribbling across the air, massive letters taking shape from nothingness. She wrote " **METAL WALL** " and the letters materialized as huge slabs of steel that deflected the sparks, sending them flying back over their heads. Still, they were persistent. Diana and Lotte kept shoot spell after spell against the massive letters, bending the steel in many places and, eventually, small cracks started to form in the metal.

"Akko, you have to get up!" shouted Annabel Crème, visibly struggling to hold the wall. "You have to keep fighting!"

"But what am I supposed to do?" said Akko desperately. "That was the most powerful spell I had!"

"There has to be some other way," said Annabel Crème, grimacing as a particularly powerful spell banged against the wall. "You've worked so hard to make it this far. If we don't stop her now, then everything you and your friends have done will be for nothing."

Akko opened her mouth to protest when a powerful explosion went off on the other side of the wall, shattering the steel like glass and throwing Annabel Crème across the room. The young author hit the ground with her shoulder, crying out, and her right hand fell limp with her fountain pen rolling away from her fingers. Annabel Crème sat up, wincing as she held her shoulder, while Diana and Lotte marched listlessly over the remains of her wall. Annabel Crème reached for the pen with her free hand, but Lotte kicked it away. The possessed students raised their wands together as Annabel Crème sat back, waiting for the inevitable –

Suddenly, Akko appeared from behind and pulled both Diana and Lotte into a double headlock, causing their spells to fly wildly out of the way. With a grunt of effort, she spun around to throw Lotte off to the side over a broken lab table and turned again to slam Diana on her back. Annabel Crème let out a relieved sigh as Akko, Shiny Rod in hand, helped her up to her feet.

"Thank god," said Annabel Crème. "I was scared you had actually given up."

"Yeah, I almost did," Akko admitted. "But you were right; we've come way to far just to give up when things seem hopeless. We've made a lot of mistakes and failures, but all that was so that we could reach this point. If I stop now, then my dream of meeting my mom will never come true. So we'll beat her, no matter how hard it is."

" _How stupid can you be?_ " said Diana as she and Lotte moved together. " _Haven't you realized by now? No matter how hard you try, you can't win. Croix tried to erase me and she failed. Holbrooke tried to keep this filthy school alive and she failed. And why? Because I made it happen! You're dreaming if you think you can win now._ "

"You do not get the things you dream of, you get the things you work for'," Akko muttered in a low voice. "It means that I can't make my dream come true if I just wish for it. I will work towards it, day after day, and I will reach for it with my own two hands." Although Akko failed to notice it, Annabel Crème let out a silent gasp as the second Star of Arcturus flashed gold. "I will make my dream come true! I will meet Shiny Chariot and become a great witch just like her! And I won't let you get in my way! _**Phaidoari Afairynghor**_!

The words spilled from her mouth before she had even realized what she was saying. Much like whenever she used the Shiny Arc, the Shiny Rod unraveled in threads of light, weaving together moments later into a new shape. It wasn't the longbow that she had familiarized herself with, but a hefty axe with a hand guard around the handle and a curved axe head, the blade gleaming in the weak florescent lights.

Before Diana and Lotte could raise their wands in defense, Akko swung the axe forward and created a shockwave of green energy that completely consumed them. Neither of them were harmed physically, but the shockwave expelled a black mist from their bodies. When the energy had passed, Diana and Lotte had returned to the natural skin color and their eyes were no longer red; the virus had been removed from their bodies. However, the exhaustion of the entire ordeal finally caught up to them and they fell forward on the ground out cold.

Eveline howled like a raging beast. She stretched out her arm to snatch her up, but Akko ducked underneath and swiped the Shiny Blade through the underside of Eveline's limb. The shockwave consumed her hand, traveled up to the shoulder, and cut a deep scar in the laboratory wall, shaking the foundation further. Eveline stumbled sideways, howling like a wounded animal, with her entire right arm completely obliterated. And while she was distracted, Akko raced up to her and sliced the Shiny Blade across Eveline's forearm, annihilating everything downwards in a wave of green energy. Without its arms to lift its body and its lack of legs, the monstrous form of Eveline could only squirm on the ground, snapping its boney, toothy mouth in a vein attempt to kill her.

Akko walked up to the monster, stopping just short of its reach. She slowly raised the Shiny Blade, ready to end the battle once and for all –

But she hesitated.

"Akko, what're you waiting for?" said Annabel Crème. "Hurry up and destroy her."

"But…if I destroyed her…then Alessa…," Akko murmured.

The poltergeist was panting heavily on all fours, still looking to be in pain, but not as much as before.

"If I destroy Eveline…," said Akko, "then that means I kill Alessa…. After everything she's been through…I don't think I…."

"Do it," said Alessa. Akko gasped and turned to her as she weakly stood to her feet. "Kill her, Akko."

"But then you'll be – "

"I've been a prisoner trapped in my own body for twenty years," said Alessa. "I've been hurting for so long, but I know Croix was hurting even more, suffering from the guilt of what we caused. I don't want anyone to hurt anymore over me. I've accepted my death a long time ago. So please, Akko…set me free…."

Akko stared at Alessa in wonderment; her eyes were filled with conviction. So she took a deep, cleansing breath and swung the Shiny Blade through Eveline's head.

There was a long, dreadful, piercing scream. A black mist choked the room as the monster was ripped apart, piece by piece, Eveline writhing and twisting, screaming and flailing and then –

She was gone; only a deep gouge in the stone floor to mark where she had once been. The Shiny Blade fell to the floor with a clatter, automatically switch back to its normal form, and there was silence. Silence except for the spontaneous sparks of the broken machines around them.

Shaking all over, Akko turned around toward Alessa, her head spinning as though she'd just traveled miles through a Teleportation Spell. She blinked the exhaustion from her eyes and just noticed an ethereal white glow surrounding the poltergeist. Alessa looked at herself, a relieved smile crossing her burned face, as she slowly started to disintegrate from the feet up.

"I'm finally moving on to the other side," said Alessa, answering Akko's unasked question. "Thank you, Akko, for everything you've done. If you hadn't stuck your nose where it didn't belong, none of this would have been possible. I'm happy to have met you. Oh, and tell Croix: Don't feel guilty. This was my choice. I'm proud to have had a wonderful friend like her."

And just like Eveline, she was gone as well; white particles glittering in the air before they disappeared into the darkness. Akko lowered her head, but she didn't feel sad at all. She was happy that Alessa could finally find peace….

Then came a faint pair of moans from the other end of the chamber. Diana and Lotte were stirring. Akko hurried over to Diana's side while Annabel Crème tended to Lotte. Her bemused eyes traveled around the ruins of the old laboratory, over Akko, her tunic covered in cuts and dust, and then at herself, her fair complexion returning. She drew a great, shuddering gasp, and suddenly threw her arms around Akko. Had she not gone through such an ordeal, Akko would be over the moon right now.

"Akko – oh, Akko – I tried to tell you before, but I couldn't say anything because of Evie's control – I wanted so desperately to warn you before she had a chance to take you away – and I foolishly ended up becoming her pawn instead. But where – _where_ are we? Are we in the abandoned tower? What happened to Evie? The last thing I remember was me trying to reach out to you before the Chariot Race – "

"It's all right," said Akko, gently pulling away and smiling. "We figured it out. Evie's dead and the virus is gone for good. Everyone that was under her control have been set free, and we have enough evidence to prove Croix's innocence."

"That's excellent news," said Diana in relief, allowing herself to be picked up. "We can finally put this whole miserable experience behind us."

"Not quite," said Annabel Crème as she and Lotte joined them. "We still have to explain what happened here, or else the Magic Council will be even more suspicious. That means…we have to tell them about Akko…."

"We can't do that!" yelled Lotte. "Akko just saved everyone! If the Magic Council finds out that she's the Plague-bearer , they could expel her!"

"It's okay, Lotte," said Akko softly.

"But what about your dream?" gasped Lotte. "If you get expelled – "

"It won't stop me from looking for my mom," said Akko. "Like I told Eveline, I'll keep working hard every day until I meet my mom and become a great witch like her. Even if I get kicked out of Luna Nova, I'm not gonna stop trying."

"Well said, Akko," said Diana appreciatively.

"C'mon, let's get out of here," said Akko. "This place gives me the creeps."

She bent down to pick up the Shiny Rod and was ushered forward to the laboratory entrance with her friends, their footsteps echoing throughout the gloomy chamber, and back onto the main stairway. Akko heard the vault door close behind them with a soft hiss.

After a few minutes' progress down the spiraling staircase, they stepped outside and emerged in the clearing in the Arcturus Forest.

"Where to now?" said Lotte, with an anxious look at Akko.

"We should probably go see Professor Finnelan and tell her everything," said Akko with a hint of depression in her voice. "She's been looking forward to expelling me all year. Looks like she's going to get her wish…."

Silently, they strode through the path in the forest and up the sweeping front lawn, guided by the light of the crescent moon above. They pushed through the double doors and stepped lightly through the entrance hall up the spiraling staircase up to the first floor. They walked along the corridor, and moments later, found themselves outside Professor Finnelan's office.

Akko knocked and pushed the door open.

* * *

 **A word of congratulations to all those who made guesses on the real villain's identity. Most of you had already figured out Eveline was the mystery monster, as if it wasn't obvious, but no one figured out that Akko was the other half of the real antagonist. That makes me particularly proud; no one thought that the hero of the story could also have been the villain. And we get to see the second Star of Arcturus in action. Two down, five to go until the grand finale.**

 **Next chapter: A Hero's Reward**


	18. A Hero's Reward

**Akko Kagari and the Evil Within**

 **Chapter Eighteen: A Hero's Reward**

For a moment, there was silence as Akko, Lotte, Diana, and Annabel Crème stood in the doorway, covered in muck and dirt. Then there was a scream.

" _Diana!_ "

The cry came from a woman who had been sitting in front of the fire, apparently crying. She was taller than everyone in the room – almost awkwardly so – but she had the aura of dignity and refinement, despite her faded blonde hair and the wrinkles under her eyes. She leapt to her feet and flung herself down to her knees, pulling Diana into a tight hug.

"M-Mother, please," Diana stammered, her cheeks turning red. "You're embarrassing me."

Akko, however, was looking past them. Professor Holbrooke was standing by the mantelpiece, beaming, next to Ursula, who was holding her chest with a relieved sigh, and Professor Finnelan, who was the only one that seemed displeased to see Akko (no surprise there). Annabel Crème walked around the Cavendishs to join the teachers by the fire, Akko found herself and Lotte being swept into Mrs. Cavendish's tight embrace.

"Oh, thank you, Akko! Thank you! You saved my little girl! I had already lost my beloved Bernadette so long ago and I don't know how I would have been able to live on without my Diana! Thank you! You truly are Chariot's daughter!"

"Okay, that's enough, Athena, you're suffocating them," said Ursula, pulling her away from Akko and Lotte. "But it is no less astounding that you returned Diana safe and sound. How did you do it?"

"I think we'd all like to know that," said Professor Finnelan, who was clearly less overjoyed only because it was Akko.

Akko hesitated for a moment, then walked over to the desk and laid upon it the Shiny Rod and Croix's research notes.

Then she started telling them everything. For nearly a quarter of an hour she spoke into the rapt silence. She told them about hearing the disembodied voices, how Diana had realized that it was Eveline who was infecting the students; how she, Lotte, and Blair had followed the Shiny Rod into the forest under Croix's carefully hidden instructions, how the Fuel Spirit Beasts had told them where the last Hive Queen had presumably died; how they had guessed that Alessa had been the victim, and how Croix's old research notes had told them that her body was still lying in the old laboratory….

"Very well," Professor Finnelan prompted her as she paused, "so you found out the source of the virus was – breaking a hundred school rules into pieces along the way, I might add – but how on _earth_ did you all get out of there alive, Kagari?"

So Akko, her voice now growing hoarse from all this talking, told them about how Croix had hidden one of the Stars of Arcturus along with her research notes and how they had helped Akko figure out the Magic Word to unlock the Shiny Blade. But then she faltered. So far she had managed to avoid mentioning anything too specific about Eveline, but Akko knew she would have to tell them everything that had happened, especially how Eveline had managed to sneak inside Luna Nova undetected and how she managed to infect the students. For one horrible moment, Akko considered not saying anything. Despite what she had said before, she _really_ didn't want to be expelled from Luna Nova, where her friends were.

Instinctively, Akko looked at Ursula, who smiled faintly, the firelight glancing off her glasses.

"What has _me_ curious the most," said Ursula gently, "is how Eveline managed to infect Akko when our friends at the BSAA tell us that there shouldn't be any remaining samples of the original virus left."

Relief – warm, sweeping, glorious relief – swept over Akko.

"What is that?" said Professor Finnelan, sweeping around to her. "Are you saying that Miss Kagari was infected? But how could we have not noticed? How did she not tell us?"

"Obviously she was unaware that Eveline was manipulating her," said Ursula calmly. "I can sympathize. Having someone else controlling you without realizing it, being forced to do thing you don't want to. It must have been so hard. But the question is how Akko was infected in the first place. Where would she even contract such a virus."

"There's this store in Silent Hill called Biohazard," said Akko quickly. "I accidentally went there because I didn't know how to use the Teleportation Spell when I was staying with the O'Neills. The owner of the store was keeping a bottle of the stuff, but I knocked it over by accident and didn't know when it touched me."

"I keep telling the Magic Council that place was a bad idea," said Athena, seething. "In what universe is it a good idea to have a market for illegal dark magics and weapons of mass destruction right next to the arts and crafts store? But wait, if Miss Kagari was infected this whole time, does that mean this Eveline girl forced her to kidnap my sweet Diana."

"Actually, Mother…," said Diana awkwardly, taking a deep breath through her teeth. "I may have…sort of…accidentally…tried to confront Eveline when I…kind of…used our family magic to push my essence into the Hive Virus network – "

" _Diana Isabella Cavendish!"_ Athena screamed furiously.

"Diana's initials are D.I.C.?" said Akko, snickering behind her hands.

"That is very unfortunate," said Annabel Crème.

"Have your mother and I taught you _nothing_?" Athena continued to wail, making Diana cringe like she had just been struck. "What have we always taught you? Never confront anything that can _think for itself_! You're not ready for that level of magic! You know better than that! You should have contacted me the moment you knew what was happening! Did you think you could handle it by yourself? If your mother were here, she would be very disappointed in you – "

"All right, all right, I think your daughter has been punished enough, Athena," Professor Holbrooke interrupted in a kindly voice. "She really should go up to the hospital wing right away. This has been a terrible ordeal for her. And before you worry, Miss Cavendish" – she raised her hand when Diana opened her mouth – "Miss Kagari will not be punished for any of this. Older and wiser witches than she have been hoodwinked by less." She strode over to the door and opened it. "Bed rest and perhaps a large, steaming mug of hot chocolate. I always find that cheers me up. And when you see Porlyusica, please tell her to let everyone out of quarantine. They should all be in control of themselves again now that Eveline is gone."

"So Nanoha-chan's okay!" said Akko brightly.

"There has been no lasting harm done, Miss Kagari," said Professor Holbrooke.

Athena led Diana out, still looking deeply shaken.

"You know, Anne," Professor Holbrooke said thoughtfully to Professor Finnelan, "I think all this merits a good _feast_. Might I ask you to go and alert the kitchens?"

"Right," said Professor Finnelan crisply, also moving to the door. "I'll leave you to deal with Kagari, shall I?"

"Certainly," said Professor Holbrooke.

She left, and Akko and Lotte gazed uncertainly between Professor Holbrooke, Ursula, and Annabel Crème. What exactly had Professor Finnelan mean, _deal_ with her? Surely – _surely –_ she wasn't about to be punished. Holbrooke just said she wouldn't. Had she been lying to make Diana feel better?

"I seem to remember telling you, Miss Kagari, that I would have to expel you if you broke any more school rules," said Professor Holbrooke.

Lotte opened her mouth in horror.

"Which goes to show that the best of us must sometimes eat our words," Professor Holbrooke went on, smiling. "You, Miss Jansson, and Miss Cavendish will receive Special Awards for Services to the School for your parts in saving Luna Nova."

Lotte went as brightly pink as Holbrooke's valentine flowers and closed her mouth again.

"But one of us seems to be keeping mightily quiet about her part in this dangerous adventure," Professor Holbrooke added. "Why so modest, Annabel?"

"I didn't contribute much," said Annabel Crème. "All I did was translate a couple of papers."

"Which in turn helped Miss Kagari find the source of the virus that has plagued our school," said Professor Holbrooke. "You deserve to be rewarded as anyone else. If there is anything you wish, if it is within my power, it is yours."

"Well…," said Annabel Crème slowly. "I was wondering…if I could stay on the staff, permanently this time."

"You want to teach full-time?" said Professor Holbrooke, looking pleasantly surprised. "I thought you didn't like teaching very much."

"I didn't at first," Annabel Crème admitted, "but that's only because I didn't want to. Miss Jansson made me realize how ridiculous I've been this whole time and now i can't think of any other place I want to be. I'm still going to keep writing _Night Fall_ in my spare time, but I think stay at Luna Nova will make me an even better writer, and a better person, than I was before."

"Well said, Annabel," said Professor Holbrooke approvingly. "I look forward to working with you from now on, Professor Crème."

"Thank you, headmistress," said Annabel Crème happily. "I'll just head back to my office. I see a lot of unpacking in my future."

"Why don't you take Miss Jansson with you?" Professor Holbrooke suggested. "I'm sure she's loved to spend more time with her idol. And Professor Ursula and I would like a few more words with Miss Kagari…."

Annabel Crème ambled out. Lotte cast a curious look back at Professor Holbrooke, Ursula and Akko as she closed the door.

Professor Holbrooke crossed to one of the chairs by the fire and Ursula stood by her side, hands folded in front of her.

"Sit down, Miss Kagari," she said, and Akko sat, feeling unaccountably nervous. "First of all, Miss Kagari, I want to thank you. Even after everything that has happened to you, you showed true loyalty to Luna Nova, and more importantly, to Professor Croix. You never stopped believing in her. Only that could have allowed you to find the second Star of Arcturus."

Ursula walked over to the desk and picked up the Shiny Rod, the two jewels embedded in its surface reflecting the light of the fire. Akko grinned awkwardly as they watched her.

"I always wondered what Croix did with it," said Ursula, gazing deeply at the second gem. "The second Star of Arcturus – the Star of Destruction. With it, one could obliterate entire nations with a single swing. The ultimate tool of erasure. I guess I can't blame Croix for wanting to hide it in the deepest, darkest parts of the woods."

"How did Professor Croix get the Star in the first place?" asked Akko.

"Long ago, on the day you were born," said Professor Holbrooke, "your mother distributed the Seven Star of Arcturus among her closest and most trusted friends and entrusted me with the Shiny Rod itself, which was why you found it in the depths of Luna Nova exactly one year ago today. I was there when Chariot left the Star of Energy with you when you were only a baby and Croix was trusted with the Star of Destruction for safekeeping."

"So she gave the Seven Stars to her friends?" asked Akko curiously. "Well, who has them?"

"I believe Chariot gave the Stars to – hold on, let me think," Ursula hummed as she started to count her fingers. "She left you with the Star of Energy and Croix with the Star of Destruction, so that makes two. I know Chariot kept one of them for herself, so the other ones were Izetta, Athena Cavendish, Charlotte Jansson – that's Lotte's mother – and Blair – "

"Blair knows where one of the Stars are?" yelled Akko, shooting up. "And she never told me?"

"Because she does not think you are ready for it just yet," said Professor Holbrooke calmly. "As I have also told you one year ago today, when you are ready, they will find you. By now, they all know that you are the only one capable of restoring the Shiny Rod to its former power, so please, just wait patiently.

Akko leaned back in her seat, not at all happy with the arrangement. She wanted to find the Stars now! They were her key to finding her mother!

For a minute, neither of them spoke. Then Professor Holbrooke summoned a pen and paper from one of the drawers in Professor Finnelan's desk.

"What you need, Miss Kagari, is some food and sleep. I suggest you go down to the feast, while I write to Dol Gurdur – we will be needing out Modern Magic teacher back."

Akko got up and crossed to the door. She had just reached for the handle, however, when the door burst open so violently that it bounced back off the wall.

Lord Hanbridge stood there, fury in his face. Standing behind him, hands folded behind with perfect composure, was his son Andrew, and coming up from behind him was their dark-haired maid, Marianna...who looked _exactly_ like the girl from the dining hall this morning. It suddenly hit Akko like a ton of bricks: _Andrew's maid was the ninja!_

"Good evening, Lord Hanbridge," said Professor Holbrooke pleasantly.

Lord Hanbridge almost knocked Akko over as he swept into the room. Andrew stepped lightly inside while Marianna calmly closed the door behind them, and strode over to the other side of the room so that they could watch the scene play out in front of them. Akko stood rooted in her spot, not sure what to make of this.

Lord Hanbridge looked like he had set out in a great hurry, for his usually tidy hair was disheveled, a button on his coat went through the wrong hole, and his shoes were only half-polished. Stomping over near the fire, he fixed his cold eyes upon Professor Holbrooke while Ursula nervously got out of the way of the line of fire.

"So!" she said. "You've come back. The governors suspended you, but you still saw fit to return to Luna Nova."

"Well, you see, Lord Hanbridge," said Professor Holbrooke, smiling serenely, "the other eleven governors contacted me today. It was something like being caught in a hailstorm of letters, to tell the truth. They'd heard that Diana Cavendish had been killed. As the Cavendish family is one of the oldest and most prominent pure-blooded Demi-human lineages in the world, they naturally wanted me back here at once. They seemed to think I was the best woman for the job after all. Very strange tales they told me, too…. Several of them seemed to think that you had threatened and blackmailed their families if they didn't agree to suspend me in the first place."

Lord Hanbridge went even paler than usual, but his eyes were still slits of fury.

"So – have you stopped the attacks yet?" he sneered. "Have you caught the culprit?"

"We have," said Professor Holbrooke, with a smile.

" _Well_?" said Lord Hanbridge sharply. "Who is it?"

"A remnant left behind by a man who is no longer among this world," said Professor Holbrooke. "Albert Wesker and his Purifier sect have attempted to attack us from beyond the grave through the means of a virus that had accidentally be released unknowingly."

"Albert Wesker? That psychopath?" said Lord Hanbridge displeasingly. "I don't even want to imagine what other things that lunatic has left lying around. Did you find out who was responsible?"

For a moment, Akko freeze up with fear, which did not go unnoticed by Andrew, who gave her a suspicious glance out of the corner of his eye, but did not say anything.

"A girl named Eveline," said Professor Ursula; Akko let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "She was created by Wesker just shortly before his death and has been hiding for quite some time. Fortunately, Miss Kagari here" – Lord Hanbridge shot Akko a swift, sharp look – "and her friends had discovered Eveline's plot before it could get too far."

"Yes, I suppose that's quite fortunate," said Lord Hanbridge stiffly.

"But the danger has passed and Luna Nova is once against safe from the threats of the Purifiers," said Professor Holbrooke proudly. "Of course, that's not the reason why you came all the way here, in such a disheveled state. While I was away, I suppose you went to Professor Finnelan about your offer. And I would wager based on your facial expression that she gave you the same reply as I have."

"Surely, Holbrooke, you could at least reconsider your stance," said Lord Hanbridge. "I have given much to Luna Nova Academy these past twenty years that would account to returning the favor. You wouldn't have to do much. Just give a few statements and that's it."

"I'm sorry, Lord Hanbridge, but the decision stands," said Professor Holbrooke family. "Luna Nova is grateful to you for everything you've done and we fully intend to repay you for your generosity whenever we can, but I will not allow my school to become involved in the politics of humans. I'm sorry, but we will not sponsor you in the upcoming election."

"…okay, I'm very confused," said Akko blinking, turning to Andrew. "What're they talking about?"

"My father is making a bid to be elected as Prime Minister," Andrew answered in a low voice so as not to be overheard by the adults. "Everyone in the United Kingdom is going to be voting for the next official, but what my father failed to take into account was that it would include Demi-humans since they are legal citizens. My father has a large reputation for disapproving Demi-humans, so the polls are not looking to be in his favor. My father was hoping that a sponsorship from Luna Nova would change public opinion."

"So when Professor Holbrooke said no," said Akko thoughtfully, "he got her suspended and tried to convince Professor Finnelan in her place."

"Exactly," Andrew nodded.

"Oh man, I thought it was something serious," said Akko, sounding relieved. "Like he was actually a Purifier or something."

"My father may dislike Demi-humans," said Andrew, "but he is not a monster. No matter how much he dislikes someone, he wouldn't kill them."

Akko wasn't too sure of that herself.

Lord Hanbridge stood for a moment, and Akko distinctly saw his hands twitching as though longing to wrap them around Professor Holbrooke's throat. Instead, he turned and walked toward the door.

"We're leaving, Andrew!"

"I will be but a moment, father," said Andrew politely, not even flinching at Lord Hanbridge's snappy tone.

Lord Hanbridge grumbled under his breath as he wrenched open the door, purposely slamming it against the wall, and stomped out of the office. Akko stared after him for a moment before he felt a hand fall on her shoulder that made her jump. Andrew peered down at her with his usual blank stare, Marianna standing dutifully at his side.

"Miss Kagari, if I could have a moment," he said. "We have something we wish to discuss with you."

"Uh…sure, I guess," said Akko, tilting her head confused.

"Be sure not to take too long," said Ursula. "The feast should be starting any moment."

"It will only take a minute," said Andrew. Marianna quickly marched to the down, bowing him and Akko out. "After you, Miss Kagari."

Akko stared at Andrew, wondering what he was up to. She hadn't forgotten how he and his father had showed up at Biohazard where everything started nor how they fought in the middle of Spellbinders. Even worse now was that she _knew_ Marianna and the little ninja were the same person. Was he perhaps looking to settle the score? Akko slowly stepped out into the hallway, only just remembering she left the Shiny Rod with Ursula before Marianna closed the door behind them. They walked together in silence, Akko leering at him suspiciously while Andrew gaze straight ahead with unnaturally perfect posture.

When they turned the corner toward the stairway, Andrew finally stopped and turned to her. Akko braced herself for anything –

"I wanted to apologize, Miss Kagari," said Andrew, tilting his head.

Except that. She wasn't expecting that.

"Oh, um, sure, I guess," Akko stammered. "What're you apologizing about?"

"Two things, really," said Andrew sincerely. "Firstly, about what happened at Spellbinders. It was undignified and wrong of me to look down at a peer just because we don't share the same views on magic – Diana gave me an earful after that. My opinion on magic hasn't changed, mind you, but people should be allowed to share their opinions without being scorned for it."

"Um, thank," said Akko, scratching her cheek uncertainly. "And the second thing?"

"I'm siure you've already figured that part out, judging by how you keep glancing at Marianne like that," said Andrew. "Show her, Marianna?"

"Yes, Master Andrew?" said Marianna, bowing respectfully.

Then all of a sudden, Marianna gripped a handful of her uniform and whipped it off her body. In the blink of an eye, Marianna was standing proudly with his hands on her hips, dressed in a Luna Nova school uniform with her many ninja-like additions.

"I KNEW IT!" yelled Akko. "You're the one that sent this ninja menace after me!"

"Yes, I did ask Marianna to keep you away from the school," said Andrew, nodding. "But I assure you, it was for a very good reason."

"She broke my arm!" Akko snapped.

"That's not something I approved of myself," said Andrew, leering at Marianna. The little ninja looked away guiltily. "I only told Marianna to keep you away from the school. I didn't think that she would go as far as to cause you physical harm. That's an oversight on my part and I deeply apologize for that."

"I, too, apologize, Kagari-dono," said Marianna as she dropped to her knees and pulled out her sword, holding the tip to her stomach. "Allow me to commit seppuku as recompense."

"Why is that the only Japanese thing you fully understand?" cried Akko frantically, rushing over and snatching the sword out of her hand. She took a deep breath in relief and calmly turned to Andrew. "But why have you been sending your maid to almost kill me? We didn't even meet until after she got me in trouble the first time."

"Because you're the Star-Born Child," said Andrew simply. "Don't look so surprised. Outward appearances aside, Diana and I are childhood friends. We tell each other things, unlike you, as she is constantly complaining to me about."

"Okay, I deserve that one," said Akko drearily. "But what does me being the Star-Born Child have to do with anything?"

"You are a symbol to the Demi-humans; a promise of a better world for their kind," said Andrew. "My father is a very ambitious man who is willing to sink to any level to get what he wants. If he ever found out that you were the Star-Born Child, he would no doubt blackmail you or threaten your family until you agreed to work for him, no doubt as his poster girl for Demi-human relations. I couldn't idly stand by and allow my father to get what he wants by such underhanded means, so I asked Marianna to keep you away until the election was over. Obviously, it didn't work. You really are a stubborn girl."

"Thanks, I get that a lot," said Akko, giggling. "But wait? At the start of the year, Mari-chan," - Marianna perked surprisingly at the nickname - "said there was an evil plot happening at Luna Nova. But that was before Eveline ever got out. So how did you know?"

"I didn't," said Marianna. "I just made it up, hoping I could trick you to stay away from Luna Nova. I didn't realize what was happening until after the first attack."

"But there is one thing that's been bothering me for a while," said Akko rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Mari-chan's been wearing a Luna Nova uniform the whole time I knew her. Why?"

"Well, it's because she's a student here, obviously," said Andrew, rolling his eyes.

"You're a witch?" Akko yelped surprisingly at Marianna.

"I'm a first year student," Marianna said proudly.

"Marianna was the first in her family to ever develop magical talent," said Andrew. "Naturally, my father being the demi-human hating bigot that he is, we were fearful of what might happen if he ever caught on. We kept it a secret for years until Marianna got a letter from Luna Nova."

"But wouldn't your dad notice if Mari-chan went to a magic school for a whole year?" asked Akko, frowning. "And how would you even pay for the tuition. Your dad would have to know if a ton of money was missing from his Swiss bank account."

"As a student at Appleton, I am a fairly busy man," said Andrew coolly. "As such, I told my father I needed Marianna to help keep things organized while I worked. Thankfully, my father believed me and now he thinks Marianna is staying with me at Appleton when she is actually attending classes here. As for the money - I have a very large sum that I've saved over the years."

"Master Andrew has most generously paid for everything, including my books and school supplies," said Marianna, shooting a sideways glance at Andrew, her eyes softening and her cheeks dusted pink. "He really is a kind master."

"Wow, that's a plot twist i didn't see coming," said Akko, chuckling. "You know, Andrew, even though you act like a jerk, you really are a nice guy."

"Don't go telling anyone that," said Andrew, smirking. "I have a reputation to uphold."

And with a turn of his heels and a _whooshing_ sound, both Andrew and Marianna disappeared.

* * *

Akko had been to several Luna Nova feasts, but never one quite like this. Everyone was in their pajamas, and the celebration lasted all night. Akko didn't know whether the best part was Nanoha running up to her with a great bear hug that cracked her ribs or Makoto hurrying over to wring her hand and apologize endlessly for suspecting her, or Croix turning up at half past three, cuffing Akko so hard on the shoulder that she was knocked into a plate of flan, or Akko being lifted onto Amelia O'Neill's shoulders when she was crowded the Moonlit Witch for the second year in a row, or Professor Finnelan standing up to tell them all that the exams had been canceled as a school treat ("Oh, _no!_ " said Diana), or when Annabel Crème came up to Akko and her friends with exciting news.

"I've decided to start a new series," said Annabel Crème proudly. "I will still be working on _Night Fall,_ but I want to create something that will be just as amazing. I'll be the first Annabel Crème to make a difference."

"That's wonderful, Professor Crème!" Lotte gushed.

"I have all of you to thank," said Annabel Crème. "If it wasn't for you, I would have made a terrible mistake in giving up my pen. And all of your crazy adventures has inspired me to write it."

"That's so cool," said Akko. "Did you come up with a name yet?"

"Actually, I have," said Annabel Crème, smiling. "I'm calling my new series… _Little Witch Academia_."

* * *

The rest of the final term passed in a haze of blazing sunshine. Luna Nova was back to normal with only a few, small differences – Magical Literature classes had been canceled due to Annabel Crème wanting to get a head start on her new book and Paul Hanbridge had been voted out as a school governor. Sucy and the others were more than a little disgruntled that Akko hadn't trusted them to help, but she made up for it by letting herself be a Guinea pig for Sucy's experiments. Diana, Hannah, and Barbara's relationship with their group hadn't changed much, but they at least said "Hi" to each other whenever they met in the hall without it sounding sarcastic. Not a whole lot of progress, but it was something.

Too soon, it was time for the journey home on the Mystic Rail. Akko, Lotte, Sucy, Amanda, Constanze, Jasminka, and Blair sat together in the back of the train like they did last year. They made the most of the last few hours trying to learn how to play the Shiny Chariot Card game from Akko, which they suspected she had purposely rigged so that only she could win.

Diana was coming down the aisle telling everyone the schedule for the first stop when Akko remembered something.

"Diana – what did you see Amanda's sister doing that she didn't want you to tell anyone?"

"Oh, that," said Diana, grinning. "Well – Amelia O'Neill has a _girlfriend_."

Amanda spit out her soda all over Akko's face.

" _What?_ "

"It's that Corona fourth-year, Wangari," said Diana. "I heard they've been writing to each other all summer. They've been meeting in secret all over the school. I walked in on them – how do you Americans describe it – _making out_ in an empty classroom one day."

"So that's why she was so depressed when Wangari was infected," said Jasminka.

"Oh, this is too good," said Amanda, rubbing her hands devilishly. "I'm gonna milk this info for all its worth."

The Mystic Rail slowed and announced that they were arriving in Shibuya.

"Hey, Akko, I was wondering if you'd like to come visit my home over the holidays," said Lotte, helping her lift down the luggage from the overhead. "I talked to my granny and she said she'd love to have you over. You know my family owns a magical item shop in Espoo, right? Maybe I could give you a look around."

"That'd be awesome," said Akko cheerfully.

"Your parents will be very proud of you after what you've done this year," said Diana as Akko got off the train.

"You think so?" asked Akko.

"ATSUKO RUKIA KAGARI!" A furious roar wailed through the station. "WHAT'S THIS I HEARD ABOUT YOU AND SOME MONSTER VIRUS?"

"Or not," said Blair bluntly. "Run!"

And together, Akko and Blair ran in the opposite direction with Mrs. Kagari closing the distance considerably as the Mystic Rail pulled out of the station, her friends laughing along the way.

* * *

Peace and calm had been restored to Luna Nova, but Eveline's story wasn't over just yet.

Deep in the shadows of Croix's old lab, a single piece of Mold – barely the size of an earthworm – slithered out of the darkness at a snail's pace. It was weak, almost painfully so, but it continued to push on. And then, quite suddenly, a glass jar slammed over top of it. The mold sample was harshly tipped over and tossed into the bottom of the jar. It's captor, a man with his chest exposed and covered in horrifying burns, traveling upwards to cover the right half of his face with only a tattered white robe to conceal his disfigurement.

And Ruvik staring at the Mold sample in the jar, grinning.

* * *

 **And now we strike two off the Akko Kagari Series. This was probably by far the most difficult to write because it involved a lot of sciences that would normally never be seen in a series like Little Witch Academia, but that's also why it's so perfect as an adversary. In the main series, all the enemies involved magic – even Croix's technology. We never saw what would happen if humans turned their advanced sciences on Luna Nova. If they had tried before Akko brought back the Golden Age of Magic, it's very likely humans could have wiped out witch kind very easily. And the argument of Magic vs. Science was too hard to pass up.**

 **This chapter also laid down the ground work of not only the main villain cast as seen in the little bonus scene, but it sets up how Akko is going to find the other Stars of Arcturus in the future by naming their guardians. I think the most interesting will be Izetta and Lotte's mother. Everything is connected – there are no coincidences.**

 **So please leave and review and I'll see you all again in Book 3: Akko Kagari and the White Witch.**


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